Independent Media Council Forum Malaysia
The main conclusion of the Media Council Forum, organised by the GFMD on April 8 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was to establish an independent council in the country under the leadership of the National Union of Journalists Malaysia.
“An independent media council will act as a platform for redressing the widespread public distrust in the mainstream media in Malaysia, which is constrained by punitive legislation and highly politicised ownership and licensing regulations,” NUJ General Secretary Anbalagan Veerasamy said.
“The NUJ will engage with all stakeholders – including the government and political parties who own the major newspapers – to encourage ethical journalism and find a mechanism to address complaints about media coverage in Malaysia.
“It will also lead public discourse on achieving true press freedom in the country by advocating for the repeal of the laws that are used to constrain free speech and political debate.”
The Forum, attended by 40 editors, journalists, media development practitioners and representatives from press councils, agreed that the media council would illustrate the capacity of the Malaysia media industry to regulate itself and would help in the efforts of media NGOs and independent media professionals to have laws restricting press freedom, such as the laws on licensing print and audiovisual media, sedition, criminal libel and the official secrets act, repealed.
Eminent members of councils from India, Indonesia and Australia outlined the different models applied in their different political contexts, and emphasised an inclusive and representative body as being the best method of promoting ethics and accountability.
“It is important that an independent media council promotes press freedom as well as mediating disputes”, said Chief Justice GN Ray, chairman of the Indian Press Council. His comments were echoed by Bambang Harimurty, editor in chief of Tempo and member of the Indonesian Press Council who explained that the Indonesian Press Council was becoming the main reference point in the country on media freedom and quality of journalism because it not only receives complaints but is actively involved in training the authorities and the public on the role of an independent press in a democracy.
A steering committee will be formed by the NUJ executive immediately to oversee the process, and will begin a public consultation and awareness raising process on the role of an independent media council. The media council will also encourage the participation of journalists and proprietors from Malaysia’s burgeoning online media sector, which is largely impervious to the restrictive laws that affect print and broadcast media.
“The GFMD is encouraged by the results of the Forum. Our efforts to support media freedom in the region and to build coalitions between media development NGOs and journalists’ groups has borne fruit”, said GFMD Director Bettina Peters.
“We continue to support the work of the Asia-Pacific press council network established at the 2nd Bali Media Forum in December of last year”, she said. “We now have close links between councils and those who want to establish them in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong, Cambodia and the Philippines.”
The Forum was organised by the GFMD in cooperation with the NUJ Malaysia, Center for Independent Journalism, Malaysiakini, IFJ Asia Pacific with the support of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.
Below you can find all the materials of the Forum:
Programme_8April.pdf
media_forum_participants.pdf
presentation_Chief_Justice_Ray.pdf
presentation_India_press_council.pdf
media_accountability_australia.pdf
media_accountability_and_media_development.pdf
_Press_Councils_in_ASEAN_Countries.pdf
journalists_ethics_in_restrictive_media_systems.pdf
Independent_Press_Council_of_Indonesia.pdf