Govt respects media freedom, does not interfere with editorial independence

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching has rebuked an Opposition lawmaker for questioning why the government did not act against a news portal that reported on Facebook accounts allegedly working to boost the prime minister’s image.

Teo told the Dewan Rakyat that the government upholds media freedom and does not interfere with editorial independence.

“Even if there are articles we disagree with, we state our position — but that doesn’t mean we have to summon the media every time to record a statement.

“I think that’s the difference between the Madani government and the other side (the Opposition),” she said.

She was responding to a supplementary question from Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (Perikatan Nasional–Pasir Mas), who said action should be taken against Malaysiakini for allegedly tarnishing the prime minister’s image.

He claimed that in recent weeks, Malaysiakini had published reports and videos alleging that a network of 263 Facebook accounts had been leaving comments to create a false positive perception of the prime minister.

“My question is, why hasn’t the government summoned Malaysiakini to explain this matter? I am confident the allegation is false. Surely the prime minister wouldn’t be so desperate as to use fake accounts to praise himself.

“I think action should be taken against Malaysiakini for spreading something that tarnishes the prime minister’s image,” he said.

Teo said Meta had already issued a statement confirming that no abnormal activity had been detected on the platform.

“That was Meta’s clarification. While I don’t deny the existence of fake accounts, many are indeed created to promote scams. A Reuters report also confirmed that in 2024, about 10 per cent of Meta’s ad revenue came from scammers.

“So yes, fake account issues do exist. But in this case, since Meta has stated that no abnormal activity was found, I think we should accept that explanation,” she said.

Meanwhile, in response to a question from Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad (BN–Simpang Renggam) on the measures taken to safeguard the government’s image amid claims that it has failed to control media content that undermines national leaders, Teo said the government had established the Malaysian Media Council (MMC).

She said the council was formed under the Malaysian Media Council Act 2025, which aims to uphold ethical, responsible and professional journalism standards.

“We congratulate the council members who were appointed through a voting process by members, comprising local media industry players, with a notable achievement that 50 per cent of the appointed members are women.

“During the Annual General Meeting, the Code of Conduct and Complaints Mechanism were also approved with amendments, marking an important step towards building a stronger, ethical, professional and credible media ecosystem,” she said.

Teo added that a disciplinary mechanism had been established to enable the council to take action against any of its members found to have violated provisions of the Act, including breaches of codes of conduct, guidelines, directives or circulars issued by the council or board, as applicable.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

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