KUCHING – Editors-in-chief of Malaysia’s media industry have conveyed a clear message that the media in the country should be shaped in its own mould, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said yesterday.
He said the message was conveyed during his meeting with the editors-in-chief of the media industry and the director of the Asia-Pacific Bureau of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Cedric Alviani.
Fahmi said the hour-long meeting went well, where the editors-in-chief requested explanations and clarifications from RSF regarding the methodology and data collection methods for determining the World Press Freedom Index 2024.
“I hope that this meeting will stimulate and add to the discussion so that we get some feedback from various parties. But the important thing is that the media in Malaysia needs to be developed according to the Malaysian mould.
“This is the message I received from the editors-in-chief, and it is up to us to shape the Malaysian media that we envision,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Fahmi also hoped that the media would continue to serve well while providing feedback to the government or non-government organisations like RSF about the state of the media in Malaysia.
Among those at the meeting were Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, NSTP group managing editor Datuk Ahmad Zaini Kamarulzaman, Sin Chew Daily editor-in-chief Kuik Cheng Kang, Malaysiakini co-founder Premesh Chandran and Big Boom Media group editor-in-chief Terence Fernandez.
Premesh, who is also the Malaysian Media Council pro-tem committee chairman said editors of the media industry looked forward to engaging with RSF with the hope that there could be changes made in the methodology and strategy in evaluating press freedom in Malaysia.
This, he said, was to better reflect the country’s press condition.
In the meeting, Premesh questioned the outdated RSF’s methodology which may not paint the actual picture of a country’s media freedom.
Fernandez said RSF should be more transparent with its ranking, as it expects journalists to also be professional and transparent in obtaining information.
Alviani, meanwhile, believed that the press freedom index was a tool to start a discussion on the subject.
“The discussion has started and this is going to be very positive for the future of press freedom in Malaysia,” he said, adding that the meeting was an incredible opportunity for him to better understand the media situation in Malaysia.
The World Press Freedom Index 2024 report released by RSF last month showed that Malaysia’s standing had declined by 34 places to 107th compared to 73rd last year. – May 27, 2024