Media Council bill to be tabled by March 2024 sitting

The government has committed to tabling a bill to allow the formation of the Malaysian Media Council by the March 2024 parliamentary sitting.

The Malaysian Media Council will be made up of media professionals, and allow the industry to regulate its own members.

Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching said this timeline was affirmed in a meeting on the bill, chaired by minister Fahmi Fadzil yesterday.

"This is the ministry's commitment and one of our efforts to ensure the welfare of media professionals, while ensuring the information received by society is verified. This in turn safeguards national harmony," she said in a Facebook post.

She said this is also in line with the government's assurance to ensure media freedom, and to support the media in the fight against disinformation "which can cause community fracture".

The legislation for the formation of the Malaysian Media Council is in the process of drafting, with input from representatives of the broadcast, online and print media, alongside NGOs and academics with vested interest in the media.

Media groups have pushed for a self-regulation format for decades.

Advocates have also called for the repeal of other laws which control media, including the Printing and Printing Presses Act (PPPA) 1984.

However, Fahmi told reporters last month that the repeal of the PPPA alongside the formation of the Malaysian Media Council has not yet been discussed at cabinet level. - Mkini