Press Statements

Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and Global Disinformation Index (GDI) launched a report profiling the risk of disinformation in Malaysian media

July 9, 2021

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) together with the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) has released a report, “Media Market Risk Ratings: Malaysia”. The report, with research led by CIJ, investigates the Malaysian media market’s risk of disinformation. The findings are based on an analysis of 31 Malaysian news sites in English, Bahasa Melayu, and Mandarin.
 
GDI has previously coordinated and released similar reports with local partners across various media markets including India, South Africa, Argentina, France, Germany, and Latvia among others. Malaysia is the latest addition to this roster, with the report presenting unique opportunities for the Malaysian media ecosystem to be analysed using an independent and standardised set of measures.
 
The Malaysia report applies the established GDI methodology for assessing disinformation risk in three key pillars: the reliability of the site’s content (Content Pillar), the site’s operational checks and balances (Operations Pillar), and how informed online readers perceive the overall context of the sites (Context).
 
Malaysian media sites typically demonstrate medium to low risk in our framework:

  • The research showed that the majority (nearly 75%) of Malaysian sites fell into the medium-risk category. Six (6) sites in our sample perform relatively well, receiving low-risk ratings while two (2) sites were categorised as ‘high risk’. However, there are no sites that fall under the ‘maximum risk’ and ‘minimum risk’ categories. Sites at ‘high risk’ tend to use sensational headlines, lack transparency in operations, and are often purveyors of inaccurate news.
  • When it comes to indicators that assess the reliability of content, it is supported by strong performance on the Context Pillar indicators that measure quality reporting, with an overall average score of 81 out of 100.
  • Furthermore, the domains’ overall ratings decreased significantly by operational shortcomings due to a lack of transparent information about a site’s beneficial owners and its sources of funding, as well as operational and editorial policies. Based on a scale of 0 to 100, Malaysian sites scored 15 for attribution as well as policies for ensuring accuracy, 30 for ownership transparency, and 31 for funding transparency.
  • The study also found that most Malaysian news sites lacked operational checks and balances, especially regarding ownership, finances, and editorial policies. This result in a lack of transparency, minimal ways for the public to hold the media accountable, and casting doubts over the media’s motives or conflicts of interest when reporting.

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    Based on the report’s key findings, we strongly recommend news sites to:

  • Focus on adopting journalistic and operational standards, such as those set by the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), which include disclosing conflicts of interest as well as adopting fact-checking standard operating procedures, and make the policies visible on the site;
  • Publish their sources of funding on their page rather than a parent company site. This information helps to build trust and dispel doubts about how the site is funded, or any potential sources of influence, or conflicts of interest;
  • Publish a statement of editorial independence, guidelines for ensuring accuracy and attribution in reporting, and policies for user-generated comments;

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    The Malaysian government also plays a crucial role in setting the tone and legislation for a media ecosystem with more transparency and less risk for disinformation. Some steps that to enhance trustworthiness in the media space would include:

  • Strengthening existing state-level Right to Information (RTI) laws as well as adopting federal-level legislation to promote freedom of information. With better access to information, journalists will be able to report with confidence and utilise reliable sources more often.
  • Forming a self-regulatory media council by empowering media industry members to self-govern, enhance journalistic integrity, and uphold common standards for responsible reporting.
  • Abolishing restrictive media laws such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) and Sedition Act, as well as amending laws such as the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) to grant the press the freedom to report without government crackdowns.

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    The need for a trustworthy and independent rating of disinformation risk is necessary. The launch of this risk-rating framework will provide crucial information to policymakers, news websites, and the ad tech industry to enable key decision-makers to stem the tide for a healthier and sustainable media environment. The full report can be accessed here.
     
    For media enquiries:
    Shahirah Hamid, CIJ communications and content programme officer, comms@cijmalaysia.net
     
    About us:
    Centre for Independent Journalism is a freedom of expression watchdog and non-profit organisation that aspires for a society that is democratic, just, and free where all peoples will enjoy free media and the freedom to express, seek and impart information. For more information, visit https://cijmalaysia.net/.
     
    Global Disinformation Index is a UK-based not-for-profit that operates on the three principles of neutrality, independence, and transparency. Our vision is a world in which we can trust what we see in the media. Our mission is to disrupt, defund and downrank disinformation sites. We provide disinformation risk ratings of the world’s media sites. For more information, visit www.disinformationindex.org.


    • About CIJ

      The Centre for Independent Journalism is a non-profit organisation promoting media independence and freedom of expression in Malaysia.

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