Malaysian Media Council aims to clear confusion over its role as industry regulator

“KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — The Malaysian Media Council (MMC), established in 2025, has emerged as a new mechanism to strengthen self-regulation within the country’s media industry amid growing concerns over ethics, media freedom and challenges in the digital era. MMC secretary Radzi Razak said the council was set up to provide a fairer, more professional and independent platform to manage media-related issues, particularly as cases involving the industry are increasingly shaped by social media pressure and enforcement action. The absence of a legitimate, independent and structured industry forum previously had made it difficult to comprehensively manage issues such as complaints against the media, journalistic standards and questions surrounding media freedom within a professional framework, he said. “The need for the MMC has become increasingly urgent as the media industry faces new challenges such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital disruption, doxxing, economic pressures in newsrooms and declining public trust in the media,” he told Bernama in an interview in conjunction with National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) today. Radzi said the council’s primary mandate under the Malaysian Media Council Act 2025 (Act 868) is to develop a self-regulatory system for the media industry rather than function as a government enforcement agency. Among the roles of the MMC, he said, are setting journalistic ethical standards, establishing a code of conduct, managing complaint mechanisms and strengthening training and professional development for media practitioners. He added that the structure of the council was designed to prevent any single party from monopolising power, with membership comprising media companies, media associations, independent media practitioners, and non-media representatives to ensure checks and balances in decision-making. However, he acknowledged that confusion still exists among media practitioners regarding the council’s actual role, despite the law coming into force on June 14, 2025. “Some view the MMC as a non-governmental organisation (NGO), some think it is a government agency, while others assume it can directly punish or instruct media organisations. In reality, the MMC is a self-regulatory institution that requires the participation of the industry itself,” he said. He said the council’s effectiveness should be measured by its structure, processes, and track record of decisions, rather than by mere claims of its independence. “MMC must be bold enough to reprimand the media in cases of ethical breaches, while at the same time defend journalists when they are pressured while carrying out their duties. That is the true test of the self-regulation concept,” he said. On perceptions that the MMC has yet to stand out in several issues involving journalists and media freedom, Radzi said the matter deserved attention as the public wants to see the institution’s role more clearly. “The criticism has some basis in terms of perception. As a new institution, if it only works behind the scenes, the public and media practitioners will not see its function. The MMC cannot be too reactive, but it also cannot remain too silent,” he said. On issues involving doxxing, exposure of journalists’ personal information and digital harassment, he said the council viewed such matters seriously as they involve the safety of media practitioners and media freedom. Among the measures being implemented, he said, is the development of an online complaint mechanism to ensure every complaint can be recorded, screened and managed more systematically. “MMC has also begun adopting a ‘standards support’ approach instead of relying solely on disciplinary responses. “This means when issues involving journalists’ safety, reporting ethics or digital harassment arise, MMC can help assess the situation, provide advice and develop guidelines to prevent similar incidents from recurring,” he said. Carrying the theme “Media Integrity, Foundation of Credibility”, Radzi expressed hope that Hawana would not merely be a ceremonial event, but also serve as a platform to discuss the real issues facing the country’s media industry. Organised by the Communications Ministry with the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) as the implementing agency, the Hawana 2026 highlight event to be held in Penang on June 20 serves as the country’s main platform to recognise the contributions, dedication and professionalism of media practitioners in Malaysia. — Bernama

Summary generated from the RSS feed of Malay Mail Education. All article rights belong to the original publisher. Click through to read the full piece on www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia.