Reject 'media propaganda council', journalists urged

Following a lukewarm from mainstream media top editors, a media watchdog today described the proposed media consultative council by the government as a “media propaganda council” which would serve as another layer of media control.

“If the ruling government is serious about fostering media freedom, it should repeal or amend all ( media-related) laws and let media regulate themselves on their own, with input from civil society and in the interests of the public,” said Masjaliza Hamzah, executive director of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ).

Hence she called on all press people who were invited to the closed- door meeting chaired by Information, Communication and Culture Ministry secretary-general Kamaruddin Siaraf (right) yesterday, especially the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), to reject this government-led initiative.

“The public deserves an independent media which puts public interest first, rather than answer to the political masters of the day,” she said.

According to those who attended the poorly-represented meeting yesterday, the editors were “about 100 percent” againstgovernment involvement in the council, worrying that the council would further muzzle the already battered mainstream media.

However, Kamaruddin defended the council, arguing that it is just a consultative council that has no executive powers.

The government proposal discussed today suggested that the council be co-chaired by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim.

The council aims to, among others, be a forum for “harmonious” cooperation in the interest of nation-building, and to produce “communication strategies to tackle recurring issues”.

However, Masjaliza was of the view that the focus is not to ensure media freedom and ethical journalism but to ensure harmonious relations and flow of information between government and media.

“Even if media freedom is mentioned in the council's terms of reference, it is only within the context of existing legislation and national interest - not public interest,” she said in an email reply toMalaysiakini.

'More like another layer of control'

She found the initiative more like another layer of control, on top of the myriad laws that already curb media freedom and stunts the growth of independent and ethical media in Malaysia - among which the prominent ones are Printing Presses and Publications Act, Official Secrets Act, Sedition Act, Internal Security Act, and Communications and Multimedia Act.

“Let's not forget the show-cause letters, undocumented political interference in the forms of phone calls and text messages made to media on a regular basis, and the summoning of editors by the Home Ministry every now and then.”

It is impossible that the council can be independent, explained Masjaliza, because it was set up by the ruling government and co-chaired by the home minister who also controls licences for print media, and issues show-cause letters.

Since the 1970s, she noted, different models of media council have been proposed but all of them place a significant amount of power in the hands of the ruling government.

“...response from journalists and editors for review of existing laws as a precursor to any plans for a council, for consultation to take place etc have remained unheeded even in the proposed media consultative council,” she claimed.

“Any media council mechanism should be about voluntary self-regulation so it can promote journalism with credibility and integrity,” stressed Masjaliza.

She reiterated that if the government is serious about media getting information that is “fair, accurate, and balanced” as mentioned in the term of reference of the proposed council, it should ensure an environment where transparency and good governance is part and parcel of its conduct, and information of public interest held by government is readily available to the public and media.

“If the current terms of reference remain, the media consultative council might as well change its name to the media propaganda council.”

Meanwhile, at a press conference today, PKR director of communications Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said that the proposal to place the two BN ministers as co-chairpersons of the council is “two steps backwards” for the Malaysian media landscape.

“If you want to move from a licencing regime... to a self-regulatory body as in many other countries then the media must be trusted to (run the) council themselves,” he said.

He added that setting up the council as proposed, with a large portion of members being government officials, does not inspire much confidence on loosening its controls on the media. - Malaysiakini