In February 2024, the Malaysian government released Revised Journalism Code of Ethicsargued that it was necessary to adapt. Social media challenges and modern issues. The latest revisions have raised questions about their effectiveness and potential impact on press freedom.

The government stressed that these are only guidelines and do not limit freedom of speech, but they serve as the basis for the government to issue media passes and allow journalists access to parliament and official government events.

The Code includes several positive and important changes, including encouraging journalists to avoid personal bias, respect the confidentiality of sources and reflect Malaysia’s diverse voices. This focus on inclusivity in the country is especially timely given the growing racial tensions in the country.

However, the revised code falls short of addressing the significant impact of social media. Many news organizations are struggling to maintain high journalistic standards as they face reduced resources and have to compete with social media.

International codes for established journalism organizations such as Professional Journalism Association And that international federation of journalists We often address these issues by emphasizing the need for careful verification and fact-checking before publication. Despite the Malaysian code, make a contrary claimlacks these important provisions.

The code’s ambiguity also raises concerns about government control. If the media publishing grounds pass, the government will have greater powers to revoke access deemed to be in violation. This can erode public trust in news organizations that are perceived to have “broken” norms or are perceived to be friendly to the government of the day.

The media have a hard time gaining trust The unfair treatment of Malaysians is due in part to the inconsistent application of journalistic ethics by various news organizations. Many media associations have their own regulations, many of which are vague and unenforceable.

Lack of trust may also stem from past issues.long years of authoritarian rule barisan national As a result, restrictive media laws were enacted; political control Harassment of private media, harassment of journalists (most notoriously Opus Laran). For too long, political interference in the media has affected not only the quality of news but also public trust in the media.

The key to restoring trust lies in reducing government influence and allowing the media to self-regulate.

In 2019, the Malaysian government under the Pakatan Harapan government announced plans to establish a media council and allow Malaysian media to self-regulate. The council has experienced some serious setbacks and little progress has been made in its development.The first proposal is finally completed. laid out on a table at the Diet session next month. If the proposed council were to be established, it would have its own code of ethics to regulate and govern local media, creating further confusion and duplication with the new code of ethics.

The Journalism Code of Ethics cannot be enforced by the government because it recognizes the government’s mismanagement of journalists and stifles surveillance. A well-designed code of ethics agreed between media companies can still be enforced and raise standards of journalism. Media outlets can publicly denounce media outlets that violate ethics rules.

Therefore, for Malaysian media to save itself, it needs to actively promote the establishment of an independent media council and a robust code of ethics. This code must clearly define the roles and responsibilities of journalists and be enforceable by the council itself. To ensure the involvement of all segments of Malaysian society, members may include journalists and civil society and government representatives.

Malaysian media faces an uphill battle to regain public trust, but the creation of an ethics oversight body is an important and necessary first step.

Originally published under creative commons by 360 information™.