Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) has "thanked" Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil for the latter's "transparency" over the press accreditation card issue.
According to the media freedom advocacy group, instances of certain practitioners "abusing" their media cards only make the case for an independent media council stronger.
"We hope government offices, officers, politicians, and political parties will no longer impose the need to have media accreditation to cover certain events.
"If only we had a body to look into complaints such as certain practitioners 'abusing' media cards, like a media council that operates independently and has its code of ethics," Geramm spokesperson Radzi Razak told Malaysiakini.
Geramm was responding to Fahmi's remark that a press accreditation card is not a licence to practise journalism, and should not be treated or compared to those who are in the medical or legal field.
The minister said that media cards are merely a means to facilitate media access to official events.
Fahmi also cited instances where access granted via the cards had been abused by certain practitioners, to further justify the decision to restructure the media accreditation system.
Geramm is part of the board responsible for the formation of the media council, which has been long fought by media practitioners in the country.
Restricting journos
Elaborating, Radzi said that having a journalist possess a government-issued accreditation document during news coverage could potentially impede their duty.
"A journalist is a journalist wherever they are.
"By restricting and subjecting a journalist to apply and take such 'accreditation' to cover certain things and restricting certain events because they don't have the government issued 'accreditation' is of course impeding and restricting journalists from doing their jobs," he added.
Expedite media council formation
The National Union of Journalists (NUJM) also weighed in on the issue by calling for the government to expedite the formation of a media council to ensure a more independent media industry.
"NUJM is also part of the process and discussions to form the media council.
"By adopting the recommendations of the pro-tem committee to form the media council, the government would not be burdened with the duty to choose which media to accredit or otherwise," said the union's general secretary Teh Athira Mohd Yusof in a statement today.
The statement was made on behalf of the NUJM executive committee.
NUJM also called for the two-year validity for all media cards to be maintained.
"As such, any media agencies recognised by the government through the issuance of the Information Department media tags should mean it has been verified and vetted to receive such accreditation from the administration.
"We hope the government's review of the standard operating procedures on the issuance of media tags would provide better access to all media, both traditional and new to carry out their duties as the fourth estate," she added. - Mkini
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