Check with ministry before publishing ‘hearsay’, Hannah tells columnists

 

Youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh claimed there had been many columnists who presented ‘hearsay’ as facts. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh has urged “columnists” to seek clarification from her ministry before publishing news reports premised on “hearsay” rather than facts.

“They hear that Taylor Swift is coming, and they report it. But that’s not actually a fact, and people will share the news as if it’s true.

“So I ask all columnists to call the youth and sports ministry first, clarify first before publishing (an article),” she told the Dewan Rakyat.

On March 5, FMT editor Frankie D’Cruz wrote in his column that “Malaysia had American pop star Taylor Swift in its grasp in 2022” but lost her to Singapore last year.

He said Swift was on the government’s radar after it signed a contract with a US venue management company in 2022 to transform Kuala Lumpur Sports City in Bukit Jalil into a hub for sports and live entertainment.

However, D’Cruz said the deal was not capitalised on when Anwar Ibrahim became prime minister after the 15th general election, with the American company reduced to a consultant’s role for the optimisation of the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Meanwhile, commenting on an FMT report earlier today that Putrajaya had yet to respond to an invitation from Formula E for Kuala Lumpur to host next year’s Formula E-Prix final, Yeoh said she had contacted the Malaysian Motor Sports Association on the matter, and that it would issue a statement to “correct the facts” in the report.

Citing a source, the report said Formula E CEO James Dodd had sought an appointment with Anwar last month to discuss the event, but Thailand seemed likely to obtain the hosting rights.

The minister also said the Cabinet would discuss the proposal to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games next week, adding that she did not want to pre-empt the meeting.

“I assure you that this government is very responsible with taxpayers’ money, and we will ensure that every expenditure benefits the country and we will give due consideration to this matter.” - FMT