Fahmi: Anwar wants enhancement of Malaysian Media Council to ensure press freedom

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants the Malaysian Media Council (MMM)’s role to be enhanced to ensure media freedom, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi, who is also the MADANI Government spokesman, said the Prime Minister relayed this to him during a phone call last night.

“The prime minister made a call to me at midnight to discuss this matter, and from what he can see, there is a need to strengthen the MMM,” he told the media after witnessing the inking of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Zchwantech Group and Magna AI here today.

Fahmi said this when asked to comment on the prime minister’s statement yesterday that the government is ready to provide a more open space for media freedom, including considering a review of related laws, in line with the nation’s maturity

He said the government has provided a Media Innovation Fund to help more media companies and organisations to face sudden changes, such as loss of advertising spending and employee productivity issues due to technological challenges.

Fahmi said several matters would be followed up on through further discussions with MMM, since it is seen as the most suitable to represent the industry to discuss the direction and actual needs of media practitioners in the country.

He said efforts are also ongoing to get an office for MMM as the first step before it scrutinises and refines its role and related matters more thoroughly.

Fahmi said that one of the main concerns raised was journalistic ethics, especially when there is a significant discrepancy between the main headline and the content of the news reported.

“I believe our media colleagues are aware of this issue and, in several instances, the reports filed on the ground are different after undergoing the editing process at the editor-in-chief level.

“Perhaps, that’s where we can look to assist in improving matters,” he said.

The MMM is an independent body established as a self-regulatory mechanism for the country’s media industry and has the role of promoting journalistic ethics and media freedom.

It was established in line with the Malaysian Media Council Act, which came into effect on June 14, 2025. — Bernama