Can Media Council Deal With Politicians Belittling Journos

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Everyone is going gaga - extremely enthusiastic - about the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) Act. There have been several rounds of pats on the back but behind the elation, there are many unanswered questions.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said with the MMC Act, the government was confident the media industry could implement checks and balances to enhance integrity and ethical compliance.
She noted that one of the challenges currently faced by the media industry is the absence of a standard reporting code of ethics applicable to all media practitioners in Malaysia.
Civil society groups envisioned that the MMC Act would uphold and enhance confidence in the media and strengthen the information and freedom of expression ecosystem - especially in an environment too often marked by self-censorship, the spread of disinformation and hate content, unethical reporting driven by racism, bigotry, misogyny, or xenophobia, and the abuse of artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms to maximise profit and economic viability.
Let me reiterate that the MMC is not the panacea for all the problems facing journalism and its practitioners.
I refer to the bad old days of the BN government when then communications minister Salleh Said Keruak “lectured” journalists on how to do their jobs and even - erroneously - insisted that the heading must come from the first paragraph.
Former communications and multimedia minister Salleh Said KeruakDoes the council have the power to deal with politicians’ threats? I recall then-home minister and now Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi threatening to close down newspapers.
Does the MMC guarantee press freedom? Will it create a better breed of journalists?
Journalists are not purveyors of fake news or articles bordering on racism and race. Those are the works on social media platforms by keyboard warriors hiding behind pseudonyms who create them at the behest of their political masters – for a fee.
A case in point is Lim Kit Siang, who was agitated when reporters questioned his place of birth following yet another flawed claim by an NGO, Pertubuhan Minda Sosial Prihatin.
In a commentary, I wrote: “The reporters got what they deserved. A simple search would have revealed the truth. But why did they have to take the words of a discredited leader of an NGO? Remember Lester Melanyi and his claims?
Questions abound
Will the MMC end such erroneous and ridiculous articles?
Will the arrest of journalists end? (In one case, the justification was that it was “for their own safety”) Will journalists no longer be summoned “to give statements” on what they wrote? Will editors have to surrender their laptops to the authorities?
Will it stop those wanting to curry favour with political leaders from setting up news portals and being partisan in the coverage?
Will it stop “Pied Pipers” from uprooting journalists from their comfortable jobs by offering higher salaries and leaving them in the lurch with no wages for months?
How will the MCC deal with the “guns for hire” in the profession (yes, there are a few) who are at the beck and call of politicians and write pieces in their favour?
When the MMC was discussed two years ago, I asked: “What and whose purpose does the council serve? A look into the past suggests nothing could have been done because the government, its agencies, and its staff would have been the biggest culprits in not complying with the basic tenets and ethics of journalism.”
Damaging the media’s credibility
Will the MMC act as the arbitrator, or will it admonish politicians who shoot themselves in the foot and then claim they were misquoted or claim their words were taken out of context?
When politicians make such claims, readers will conclude that the reporter or journalist who wrote the original report had erred or did not understand what was said.
His or her integrity and credibility then become clouded, and the politician, because of his or her status and power, becomes the “victim” of so-called misreporting.
Let me reproduce what Malaysiakini reported:
“Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has tough words for criminal gangs, but the home minister appears to have a soft spot for the Tiga Line underworld group. He calls them his friends and urges them to do what they need to do.
“Zahid made these remarks at an event in Malacca last Saturday and threatened journalists present that he would close down their newspapers if they reported his statements.”
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid HamidiTwo days later, Sinar Harian quoted Zahid as saying he never called the outlawed underworld gang Tiga Line as “one of us” during his controversial speech.
“I never said that Tiga Line were our people. I just said that they are a breakaway group of Pekida and that partly forms Tiga Line,” he said.
(Malaysiakini published a link to the video confirming what he said.)
So, how would the MMC act when similar scenarios happen, and journalists become the fall guys when politicians put their feet in their mouths?
Lest I be accused of prejudging or jumping the gun, let me state, after being in the profession for more than 50 years, that I have seen, encountered, and spoken with politicians who are quick on the draw with their words and then claimed they were misquoted.
I foresee this happening again, more so when the war of words between politicians on either side of the divide is increasing in tempo.
For many years, I insisted that letters from readers, however critical, should be published.
The only consolation I can offer is that in the future, besides promoting “the right of reply”, if someone complains about any report, my answer will be: “You can also seek redress from the Media Council.” - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is an award-winning veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues and has a special interest in cricket and the plight of fellow journalists. He can be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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