Media need to be more careful when reporting, says Fahmi

 

Government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said the media should wait for an official statement from the Pardons Board as to whether former prime minister Najib Razak has been granted a royal pardon. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil has reminded media outlets of the need to exercise caution in their reporting.

Earlier today, Utusan Malaysia issued an apology over an article which claimed that former prime minister Najib Razak had been granted a royal pardon.

The Malay language news outlet quoted sources as saying that the Pardons Board had decided yesterday to pardon Najib, who has been jailed since 2022.

The article, which was rewritten by several other news outlets, was later retracted as Utusan said “the facts cannot be verified”.

“Upon checking, the Pardons Board did not release an official statement,” said Fahmi.

“Therefore, media outlets need to be more cautious when reporting,” added the communications minister.

Fahmi said the media should wait for an official statement from the Pardons Board and should not quote sources over the matter.

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