KUCHING: Media practitioners must be truthful in their news reports to push the boundaries of media freedom, and netizens should exercise their freedom of speech and expression responsibly.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said freedom ensued when society was more mature and stakeholders became responsible.
“We are part of the democratic country where there must be checks and balances on the government and the media plays an important role in this.
“In a democratic set up, the press can act as the bridge between the government and the people and in this case the role of the media is important as a feedback, exposure, and conduit mechanism in all countries as most citizens receive their information about what is going on in the government, and how it affects them, through the media,” he said in the closing speech for the World Press Freedom Day 2022 Forum on Wednesday.
He pointed out that the freedom of information and the right to access accurate information was vital, particularly in Malaysia.
“This will inevitably ensure that people can obtain accurate and current information consequently reducing the spread of fake news and false information.
“My ministry has been working closely with the CIJ to explore the possibility of a right to information legislation in Malaysia and I was informed that engagement sessions have been conducted at both federal and state levels to ensure the policy decision is well-founded and can be presented to the government for a decision soon.
“I very much support this initiative and will facilitate a policy decision in due course,” he said, adding that he was a victim of many misleading articles reported in the media.
“They always like to “put words in my mouth” which have adverse consequences and I will then be bombarded with so many leading questions as a result of the misleading and inaccurate information and news.
“I will be left to damage control by clarifying and, worse still, defending myself on something I did not even say in the first place.
“No democracy has absolute freedom of speech, unless citizens have the right to express themselves in the political process, no government can be made accountable for its actions.
“Each country places its own limitations on freedom of expression but what matters is that those limitations are not misused by political forces to limit public scrutiny of policies and actions that have an impact on the integrity of governance,” he said.
Noting that freedom of expression was a universal human right and was enshrined in the Federal Constitution, he said nobody, not even politicians had the right and powers to curb this fundamental right.
Nevertheless, he believed one had not only to ensure this right was not restricted but there should be responsible use of this right.
“Those involved in the local news media industry have to be very careful in what they report and strive to convey messages from any parties in the most accurate manner possible to ensure that media ranking is not negatively influenced.
“Unfortunately, the Western media has been misusing their media privilege to influence the world by exaggerating, and sometimes not reporting accurate information, for instance, in the case of the Arab Spring.
“What actually happened in Iraq, Libya, Palestine and the recent war between Ukraine and Russia?”.
He urged media practitioners to adapt to changes due to the demands of the internet revolution and find ways to tackle the onslaught of digital siege which had caused consumers to change their habits of getting the latest news, the real time news that were mostly uploaded 24 hours online.
