MULTIMEDIA PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Suhailie Binti Daud

Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM)

The rapid development of technology has caused communication and the dissemination of
information through social media to become a trend in today's society. According to a report by
Data Report 2022, Malaysia has one of the highest internet penetration rates in the Southeast
Asian region, with 89.6% of its 32.98 million people. Meanwhile, 30.25 million are active social
media users, accounting for 91.7% of the population. In Malaysia, Facebook (88.7%), Instagram
(79.3%) and TikTok (53.8%) are the most popular apps when it comes to lifestyle and content
sharing. In terms of communication software, WhatsApp (93.2%), Telegram (66.3%) and
Facebook Messenger (61.6%) significantly outperform other similar platforms.

Figure 1: Overview of the adoption and use connected devices and services
 Figure 2: Percentage of internet user
Currently, social media has been misused by a few unethical communities to spread false news
and information that can have negative effects on individuals, families, communities and
countries. This can indirectly contribute towards the reception and transmission of fake news or
stories. Information and fake news often contain elements of deception, inflame racial sentiments
and slander someone to bring down dignity, reputation and so on. Indeed, the spread of
information and news through social media can reach the knowledge of the public in an instant
without knowing the boundaries and validity. The wrong and false information that is spread will
usually manipulate and mislead the people. Incorrect and false information that is spread can
cause the public to feel anxious, worried, dissatisfied, angry and will eventually blame certain
groups based on assumptions.

The rapid emergence of social media has also changed the lifestyle and routine of people's lives.
This is because of the increasingly sophisticated facilities that make it possible for a person to
access it not only through the use of a mobile computer but through a smartphone that is also
equipped with internet browsing facilities. Usually, fake news is published with the intention of
discrediting a certain party for financial or political gain, often using sensational, dishonest
headlines or simply designed to encourage sharing online.

According to media professor Melissa Zimdars of Merrimack College there are four broad
categories of fake news the first of which is fake, bogus or often misleading websites shared on
Facebook and social media. Some of these websites may rely on "outrage" by using distorted
headlines and out-of-contextual or dubious information to generate likes, shares and profits. Next
for the second category, websites may distribute information that is misleading or may not be
reliable. As for the third category, websites that sometimes use clickbait-y titles and social media
descriptions. While for the fourth category, satire/comedy sites, which can offer important critical
comments about politics and society, but have the potential to be shared as real news.

The universe of fake news is much larger than just fake news. Some stories may have some truth,
but lack contextual details. They may not include any verifiable facts or sources. Some stories
may include basic facts that can be verified, but are written using deliberately inflammatory
language, omit relevant details or present only one point of view. Fake news exists in a larger
ecosystem of misinformation and misinformation. It is known as misinformation and
disinformation.

Misinformation is the sharing of information consisting of false or misleading content shared

without intent to deceive. For example, the sharing of incorrect information has been widespread
about the treatment of COVID-19 spread that the use of certain viruses can cure patients. The
sharing of such information is inaccurate and misleading statistics even though it does not harm
people. In fact, most of them are confident and it can help to overcome it. Meanwhile,
disinformation is false information that is deliberately created and disseminated to influence public
opinion or obscure the truth.
 Figure 3: Misinformation and Disinformation.

Therefore, this situation is very worrying because there is news that aims to create hatred and
provocation among multi-ethnic communities. This situation is very dangerous and the country
may be destroyed and no longer respected in the eyes of the world and as a result, the people
will suffer. As ethical consumers, we need to choose from the right sources to avoid conflicts
between races and live in peace by doing good and respecting each other. In addition, it affects
a decision made. Many people rely on information to go about their daily lives. Take for example
the wrong weather forecast saying that a sunny day is ahead of you and you will be drenched on
the way home from work. Such things tend to spoil our mood to say the least while some false
information can have far worse consequences.

Therefore, make advance plans. For example, many people plan ahead and they rely on
information to do so. So let's take a look back at when the COVID epidemic was at its peak.
People who do not check the right sources of information plan their holiday vacations in European
countries with access to the sea or ocean. Incorrect sources tell them that European countries
like Greece, Spain, Italy and so on do not close their borders to tourists when the opposite is true.
Many people had to turn back after waiting endlessly at the border. People who got information
from the right sources canceled their reservations, got their refunds and stayed home until the
situation was resolved.
However, stakeholders such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
(SKMM), Cybersecurity Malaysia and the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) play an important role
in the process of taking action against users who have misused these facilities through detailed
methods and acts enacted so that issues The spread of fake news and information will not
continue to color the current scenario of the country. The Malaysian Communications and
Multimedia Commission (MCMC) prohibits any form of sharing content that is false, ugly and
threatening is an offense under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (AKM)
1998. With the punishment imposed, every individual will learn that someone who likes abusing
social media should be responsible for their own actions.

Figure 4: Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (AKM) 1998

There are several criteria to avoid fake news, one of which is to ensure that the information is up-
to-date. For example, like on Facebook, you can click on a story and see about the date or year
of display. In many cases, use the most current and available information. In addition, we can
also check the qualifications of an author whether he is an expert in the field or not and is currently
working in the field or not. Google search to see if the author can speak about the subject with
authority and precision.
The good news is, whether researching a paper or just scrolling through social media, spotting
fake news is relatively easy. All it takes is a little critical thinking and a willingness to do further
research. To that end, here are five tips to help tell fake news from real news. First, develop a
Critical Mind. This means you need to keep your emotional response to such stories in check.
Instead, approach what you see and hear rationally and critically. Secondly, check the source.
Check the web address for the page being read. Misspellings in company names or odd-sounding
extensions like “. infonet" and “. offer," instead of ".com" or ".co.uk," may mean the source is
suspect.

Third, see who else is reporting the story. Avoid concluding that all mainstream media output is
fake. This can be as unwise as following every rumor or conspiracy theory. Fourth, examine the
Evidence. Credible news will contain a lot of facts quotes from experts, survey data and official
statistics, for example. Or detailed, consistent and corroborated eyewitness accounts from people
at the scene. Fifth, don't take images at face value. Modern editing software has made it easy for
people to create fake images that look real. In fact, research shows that only half of them can tell
when an image is fake. However, there are some warning signs to look out for. Strange shadows
on the image, for example, or jagged edges around the figure. Finally, use your common sense.
Bear in mind that fake news is designed to feed your biases, hopes or fears. For example, it's
unlikely that your favorite designer brand is giving away a million free clothes to people who come
to its store.

In conclusion, in line with the rise of social media, the spread of fake news is increasing from time
to time. Various types of laws have been implemented to stop the spread of news this fake.
However, the spread of fake news is also becoming more widespread and this causes positive
and correct news is difficult to be recognized by the community but if there is a party responsible
for fake news on social media. In addition to the group responsible for doing their work, the
community as well play a very important role not to spread ignorant news validity to the public.
Much of the focus is on this fake news the elderly which causes them to easily believe the things
that have been spread in social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook and others.

The use of social media is used by various types of old people, young people and teenagers. So
the use of social media is widely used to get information. By that, it is hoped that social media
users use social media to spread news only authentic ones so that no more fake news is spread
on social media.
Appendix
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