KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — The soon-to-be established Malaysian Media Council will serve as an ideal platform to address sensitive issues involving media organisations, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi, who is also the Madani government spokesperson, said this includes the recent incident where a Chinese-language daily published an incomplete image of the Jalur Gemilang.
“We hope the formation of the media council will provide an effective platform to manage such matters. Until it is established, we will continue to handle these issues.
“For everyone’s information, the deputy minister (Teo Nie Ching) and the ministry’s secretary-general (Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa) have met with the management of the media organisation involved, and we have informed them that an investigation by the authorities is underway,” he said during his weekly press conference at Angkasapuri here today.
Earlier, the Chinese-language daily had issued an apology after publishing a front-page image of the Jalur Gemilang that was missing the crescent moon symbol, attributing the error to a technical issue.
The Malaysian Media Council Bill 2024 was passed by the Dewan Rakyat in February, marking a milestone after 50 years of discussions on its formation. The bill aims to establish a self-regulatory body to safeguard the interests of the media and its practitioners.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the Tun Abdul Razak Broadcasting and Information Institute would host a briefing for all media organisations to ensure the use of the Jalur Gemilang in media content follows official protocols.
He said the briefing, expected to be held within the next two weeks, aims to prevent incidents that could tarnish the image of the national flag.
“All media practitioners, representatives with media accreditation cards, press secretaries and corporate communications heads are required to attend this briefing,” he added.
— Bernama
