Anwar’s media complaint mechanism aimed at fair scrutiny, says MMM

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Media Council (MMM) said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s call for complaints involving journalists to first be referred to the council before any further action is taken is not meant to shield journalists from scrutiny.

MMM said Anwar’s statement was an important recognition of the council’s role as an independent self-regulatory body for the country’s media industry, consistent with its mandate to strengthen media freedom, raise professional journalism standards, and promote responsible media ethics.

“Journalists and media organisations remain subject to the laws of Malaysia (but) action against journalists should not be initiated automatically solely because a complaint has been lodged by any party,” it said in a statement.

“Such complaints should first undergo a review process that takes into account the proper context, the role of the media in a democratic society, and the media’s responsibilities to the public.”

MMM said complaints received would first be assessed by its secretariat to determine whether they fall within its jurisdiction and involve matters relating to journalism or media practices.

Where appropriate, it may refer the matter to the relevant media organisation for a response, clarification, or corrective action.

“This mechanism is not intended to shield the media from accountability. Rather, it is designed to ensure that media accountability is exercised through a proper, independent, transparent and balanced process.

“Media freedom and media responsibility should not be viewed as competing principles; instead, they should be strengthened together,” it said.

Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that complaints against journalists from media organisations would no longer result in automatic investigations or enforcement action, but must first be referred to the MMM.

He said the mechanism was introduced to ensure that action against media practitioners was fair, transparent and independent, and to prevent journalists from being subjected to investigations or prosecution without proper scrutiny, Bernama reported.