MALAYSIAN MEDIA COUNCIL SHOULD ESTABLISH TEAM TO MONITOR MEDIA ERRORS - EXPERT

By Yasmin Ahmad Zukiman and Nazira Hasanah Nasaruddin

KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 (Bernama) -- The upcoming Malaysian Media Council should consider establishing a dedicated team to monitor and review media errors, said an academician.

Media and Communication lecturer Yugeetha Balan of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak noted that this initiative would reinforce consistency and professionalism across the media landscape.

Citing international practices, she said the New Zealand Media Council, for example, emphasises the importance of timely corrections of significant errors to maintain public trust.

“Malaysia could adopt a similar framework,” she told Bernama when contacted yesterday, adding that the council should also implement transparent correction procedures.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil on Thursday said the soon-to-be established Malaysian Media Council will serve as an ideal platform to address sensitive issues involving media organisations.

Fahmi, who is also the MADANI Government spokesperson said this includes the recent incident involving a Chinese-language daily that published an incomplete image of the Jalur Gemilang.

The Malaysian Media Council Bill 2024, which was passed by the Dewan Rakyat in February, aimed to establish a self-regulatory body to safeguard the interests of the media and its practitioners.

Yugeetha also proposed the media council introduce regular training sessions for media professionals to reduce the likelihood of technical errors and uphold professional standards.

She said such sessions would ensure that media personnel are kept abreast of best practices, ethical standards and evolving technical requirements within the industry.

“Regular training can help prevent common mistakes, particularly in high-stakes areas such as the accurate representation of national symbols,” she added.

For Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) president Datuk Yong Soo Heong, the establishment of the Malaysian Media Council is very much in line with the current needs of the country's media industry, especially to address increasingly complex issues in the rapidly changing digital era.

"The Malaysian Media Council (can) assist in matters or investigations concerning the media with a composition of machinery, members or staff who have the background and skills to discuss media issues that may arise.

"When the Malaysian Media Council machinery is established, it will help in providing clarity on certain issues," said the former editor-in-chief of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama).

Lecturer in Liberal Communications at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Muhammad Azim Zaid said the Malaysian Media Council needs to create stricter guidelines regarding the publication of sensitive information and be adhered to by all stakeholders.

Muhammad Azim, who has 11 years of experience in the media industry, said stakeholders should take full responsibility for their publications, especially issues involving national sovereignty.

"Mistakes in publishing are not trivial matters. They involve the image of the country. In our media organisations, there are several levels of review. Even if we misspell a name, we are making a mistake, let alone an issue that affects the nation's dignity," he said.

At the same time, he described the establishment of the Malaysian Media Council as an important effort in controlling the flow of information which is increasingly difficult to stem, especially regarding issues of religion, race and the royalty (3R) which often spark disputes in society.

-- BERNAMA