ALTHOUGH global indices paint Malaysia in a better light in terms of press freedom in the last year, the country could easily fall back into past practices that push us down again, says Gayathry Venkiteswaran, an assistant professor at Nottingham University Malaysia’s School of Media, Languages and Culture.
“There is still a long way to go to see true media freedom in Malaysia because the main obstacles in terms of laws and control have not been removed, even though the previous Pakatan Harapan government pledged to do so,” says Gayathry.
“We need to be vigilant so that the current situation, made more challenging by the pandemic, is not used to further restrict media and public access to information or to introduce new prohibitive laws, such as those, among others, to combat so-called ‘fake news’,” she adds.
Gayathry describes the media industry as one that constantly faces challenges, whether in terms of business sustainability, legally, attacks on freedoms or digital disruption.
Together, these can adversely affect the rights of journalists who are then forced to scale down in-depth, investigative and critical reporting.
“I think a major gap we see in Malaysia is the lack of recognition of media freedom as a fundamental right,” she says.
Gayathry also points out that many have argued that there is no point in talking about freedoms when one cannot earn enough revenue or pay salaries.
While the ability to run the business is important, she argues that we should not see media freedom as an end.
Instead, media freedom is an important right that guarantees access and safety, and provides credibility, a sense of trustworthiness and reliability, especially amidst competing voices and noises, she says.
“The global commemoration of media freedom is not just a day that belongs to the media community.
“Media freedom benefits the public so that they can get the information they need from trusted and reliable sources,” she says.
She hopes that more people will appreciate the value of and need for a free media and that they will support good initiatives and challenge those that don’t meet the highest standards of reporting.
“But let’s also use the few opportunities we have to set aside differences and advocate together for more press freedom and a better working environment for journalists and all media workers.”
Media’s role in a crisis
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and movement restriction order (MCO), it is even more crucial for Malaysia to continue pushing for press freedom, as it is needed more than ever in these unprecedented times.
“The media, through its various news and communication portals, is unequivocally critical in ensuring that the high volume of information flow during the current public health crisis is channelled in a factual, timely, reliable and verifiable manner,” says CIJ executive director Wathshlah G. Naidu.
The CIJ again urges for the establishment of a media council to act as a transparent and independent self-regulatory body that can manage allegations of misconduct by the media and provide an avenue for the arbitration of public complaints.
“CIJ is also concerned over reports of newspapers closing down or reducing the number of times they print in a week amidst the pandemic,” she says.
It is thus important for media organisations to rethink business models to ensure sustainability.
Wathshlah also raises concerns about shrinking spaces for media to report independently due to restricted or denial of access during the MCO period.
“During this pandemic, media personnel are also among the frontliners and face exacerbated risks of infection due to the nature of their jobs,” she points out.
“Thus it is all the more necessary for the government to guarantee a safe and enabling environment in which the media can function and carry out their critical role to publish freely, keep the public fully informed, and hold the state accountable.”
Source: The Star Online
