Ethics and discourse on online

journalism in Malaysia
Muhammad Raqib Mohd
Sofian

Senior Lecturer, Communication

Program, Faculty of Leadership &
Management, Universiti Sains
Islam Malaysia

Journalism, Media studies,

Representation of Islam

m.raqib@usim.edu.my

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 Media academic James Curran says:
“The media absorb over 30 hours a
week in the average person’s life. They
are central to the democratic life the
world. They are a vehicle through
which different social groups connect to
each other and join in shared
conversations of society. They are also
major sources of pleasure and cultural
fulfilment. How the media are
organised and regulated matters.”

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A Definition
 Journalism can be tremendous
fun and very satisfying but it is a
very serious profession and a
journalist has to be careful about
what they publish as it can have
serious consequences for those
you write about
 Media ethics promotes and
defends values such as a
universal respect for life and the
rule of law and legality. Media
Ethics defines and deals with
ethical questions about how
media should use texts and
pictures provided by the citizens.

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 Journalism concepts and
ideas: Freedom of expression
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of
opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without
interference and impart info and ideas
through any media regardless of frontiers.”

Freedom of expression is great but inevitably

there are areas where it is contested. Should
you quote people who make racist statements
and justify it on the grounds of freedom of
expression? Should you allow your
interviewees to incite violence? Should you
identify a child that has been the subject of
sexual attack? Most people would say no but
not everybody. There has to be consensus of
what can and cannot reasonably be said.
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 Mahathir Mohamad said the government has
promised not to curtail freedom in
communication and news reporting but such
freedom should be used in a responsible manner.

“It should not be used to fan flames that could

bring disunity or a split in the racial harmony.

“It is also not the time to point fingers at anyone.

The police have been given the responsibility to
control the peace and conduct investigations.

“The wrong will be wrong and will face the law.”

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 Privacy
In the public interest is a term that is used to
describe the right to put into the public
domain the knowledge, that every citizen
should have to make informed decisions,
what interests the public in the more
salacious activities of film and celebrities.

What is private and what is not? Are

footballers entitled to privacy if they have
affairs outside of marriage? You can already
see why public interest is hard to define

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 Objectivity vs subjectivity
*Subjectivity: based on or influenced by personal
feelings, tastes, or opinions
*Objectivity: lack of favoritism toward one side
or another; freedom from bias.

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7 pillars of journalistic wisdom
objectivity,
truth,
balance,
impartiality,
accuracy,
fairness and
lack of bias.

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 The
Malaysian
Media
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Lee (2007) said:
The government control of the media is carried out using a two-prong
approach.

Indirect control comes from the ownership and control of major

publications, with the government being the major stockholder. UMNO and
its close allies, for example, hold majority stakes in Utusan Melayu, Utusan
Malaysia, TV3, The New Straits Times Press, Shin Min Daily News, amongst
others. (before GE-14)

Direct control, on the other hand, comes from coercive legislation like the
Printing Presses and Publications Act as well as policies holding mistakes by
publishers, editors and writers accountable.

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Internet in Malaysia (how it was started)

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 THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT 1960
The government took an initiative to create a new
law, similar to Emergency Ordinance 1948 in the
insurgency period called the Internal Security Act
(ISA), with its main objective to eliminate the
subversive threat and extinguish terrorism.
Home Minister has the power to determine whether
an individual should be arrested under ISA because
his or her acts may be judged by the police and
Home Ministry as a threat to the country or even to
the government.
Clearly this shows that Home Minister has the
power to determine whether an individual should
be arrested under ISA because his or her acts may
be judged by the police and Home Ministry as a
threat to the country or even to the government.

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 THE OFFICIAL SECRET ACT 1972

It was intended to curb and protect government secrets from

falling into the hands of foreign agents or countries where this
might be detrimental to national security.

However the OSA was also seen to impose wide, largely

unjustified restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression
and press, and on the examination and discussion of issues of
public interest by the political opposition.

The OSA defines an official secret as any documents of the

Cabinet, State Executive Council and documents concerning
national security, defence and international relations.

However, under Section 2 of OSA defines official secret as any

official letters, information, and other material which is
classified by the Minister, the Chief Minister of state or
appointed public officers as ‘Top Secret’, ‘Secret’,
‘Confidential’ or ‘Restricted’ (OSA 1998: 277).

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THE SEDITION ACT 1948
After the events of 13 May 1969, the SA was tightened for the
purposes of national stability.

The government strictly enforced the law and prosecuted

anyone who questioned about the citizenship status of the
non-Malays; national language and other communities
language; Malay special rights or other races interests; and
Malay Rulers sovereignty.

Section 2 SA defines the word ‘seditious’ as anyone who does

or attempts to do, or makes any preparation to do, or conspires
with any person to do any act which has or would have a
seditious tendency, who utters any seditious words, or who
prints, publishes or imports any seditious publication.

As a result of racial rioting on 13 May 1969, SA has been

used to prevent the media from publishing news that could
create anger or disharmonious relations between races in
Malaysia

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 THE PRINTING PRESSES AND PUBLICATIONS
ACT 1984

The PPPA further provides in Section 8A(1) for a jail

term and/or heavy fine of RM 20,000 for editors,
journalists, publishers, and printers if found guilty of
‘maliciously publishing false news’, defined as ‘not
taking reasonable measures to verify the news’.

There are two reasons why the government wants to

restrict freedom of the press and introduced PPPA in
Malaysia; firstly, to ensure racial order and, secondly, to
limit the ability of foreign presses in influencing
people’s attitudes and minds against the government and
country as a whole.

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Anti fake news

The Anti-Fake News Act was passed by the government

of former prime minister Najib Razak in April 2018. But
it was scrapped in October 2019 by Najib's successor
Mahathir Mohamad after Pakatan Harapan came to
power in May 2018.

The law fails to clearly define what constitutes “fake

news,” opening the door to criminal prosecution of
otherwise legitimate reporting, as well as arbitrary
arrests and investigations. Government weapon for
suppressing media freedom.

“It is not the government’s job to determine the truth of

the reporting that is the product of journalistic work,”
said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.
Malaysia is ranked 144th out of 180 countries in RSF's
2017 World Press Freedom Index.

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Using these two approaches, public sphere discussion was limited to the political
elite as the rest of the public, what more the opposition, had no space to discuss
their ideas or views.
The opposition parties were found to have used the new media more than the
government, and research found that data on blogs affected 70 percent of the
election results.

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Tone of coverage before GE-
14

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Online Journalism in Malaysia
newspapers Started Link
online* The Star published its first
Harian Metro 6 Jun 2006 www.hmetro.com.my online version in 1995
Berita Harian 10 April 2006 www.bharian.com.my
KOSMO! 2008 www.kosmo.com.my
Sinar Harian 31 Mac 2006 www.sinarharian.com.my
Utusan Malaysia 2 July 2001 www.utusan.com.my
The Star 1995 www.thestar.com.my
The Sun Daily 2015 www.crunchbase.com
New Straits Times 11 Nov 2011 www.nst.com.my
Sin Chew Daily 14 Feb 2000 www.sinchew.com.my
China Press 16 April 2000 www.chinapress.com.my
Kwong Wah Yit Poh 2007 www.kwongwah.com.my
Oriental Daily 2003 www.orientaldaily.com.my
Nanyang Siang Pau 1996 www.enanyang.my
Malaysia Nanban 2017 www.nanban2u.com.my
Tamil Nesan 14 Ogos 2014 www.tamilnesan.com
 Alternative news portals in Malaysia

Sumber berita Tarikh mula Pautan

bahasa) online* Malaysiakini, the first
Malaysiakini 20 Nov 1999 www.malaysiakini.com alternative news portal in
Malaysia Chronicle 1 Jun 2010 www.malaysia- Malaysia
chronicle.com
The Malay Mail 1 Sept 2004 www.malaymail.com
Borneo Post 2007 www.theborneopost.com
Focus Malaysia 2012 www.focusmalaysia.com
Free Malaysia Today 2009 www.freemalaysiatoday.co
m
Malaysian Insight 2017 https://
www.themalaysianinsight.co
m/
Malaysian Reserve Mei 2007 www.themalaysianreserve.c
om
Rakyat Post Okt2013 www.therakyatpost.com

Nota: Senarai ini tidak termasuk blog dan suratkhabar alternatif yang mempunyai versi cetak
 Ownership after GE-14
There is a new media mogul in town in the form of well-
connected billionaire Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, and observers
are concerned that this could lead to more media control in the
New Malaysia.

The businessperson, who built his empire during Dr Mahathir

Mohamad’s first term as prime minister, recently increased his
stake in Media Prima Bhd to become the media conglomerate’s
majority shareholder.

This effectively gave him control over four newspapers, four

free-to-air television stations, four radio stations, a production
studio, an outdoor advertising company and digital media.

Already a shareholder at Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd, he

acquired the printing permits and archives of Utusan Malaysia,
Mingguan Malaysia and Kosmo! this week just before the
company went bust.

Syed Mokhtar also owns business publication The Malaysian

Reserve.
 The effect of online journalism in Malaysia

Circulation decreased User-generated content

Effect

Internet- the main source of Fake news

news
Research trends in Malaysia- relates to Online
Journalism

 Framing on political / conflict

issues
 Framing/ news discourse on
religious issues (Islamic issues)
 Political ownership
 The changes and the challenges
of news reporting and practice in
Malaysia
 Fake news

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