NST Leader: A 50-year journey to media self-regulation

New Straits Times

2 days ago

In 1987, 'New Straits Times' editorial director Tan Sri A. Samad Ismail issued a staff memorandum over the government's proposal to make the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 more punitive.
The proposed provision would make editors or writers spend a mandatory one year in jail for the publication of "untruths", among other malfeasances.
The proposed mandatory jail sentence rattled journalists. Back then, newsmen were used to being hauled to court for various infractions, but the cases often ended with only hefty fines.
Granted, the political environment then was tense, a few months before October's Op Lalang, but somehow, Samad reacted just the opposite, unvexed at the proposed provision.
Instead, he wrote a laconic sentence that stood out: "There is nothing to worry because the New Straits Times does not publish untruths". That Samad memorandum defined the defence and extension of media freedom to guarantee fair and responsible reporting based on self-regulation without government intervention.
Samad's principles may have been subtly written into the new Malaysian Media Council Act, whether drafters of the law realised it or not.
The Act is the culmination of a 50-year media journey to defend the freedom to publish, allowing for civilised public discourse and to make complaints against any media outfit.
The Act's passing and its implications were so well received that the likes of the Malaysian Bar and Amnesty International have endorsed it, although they had minor reservations.
It's a given that the media, previously ruled by newspapers, magazines, radio and TV but now dominated by online platforms, will continue to strive for autonomy and free expression.
In this digital news era buttressed by artificial intelligence, the media, not just in Malaysia, has found it harder to tackle disinformation, hatred and unethical reporting, issues which the MMC must decisively address.
Designed to be independent, the MMC will address media freedom, ethical journalism and welfare of its professionals, while upholding independence and strengthening information and free expression ecosystems.
The National Journalists Day (Hawana) 2025 summit today expects the government to green-light these initiatives, and perhaps clarify certain grey areas.
There are concerns about potential "interference", only because there are government representatives on the MMC board.
The Act may have not defined terms like "ethical and responsible journalism" and "media independence", provisions open to interpretation.
The Act also has not addressed concerns about deepfakes and AI-generated disinformation.
Still, Hawana 2025 can resolve these concerns, ultimately allowing the media to operate as intended — free, responsible and truthful, just as the late Samad elucidated almost 40 years ago.