Review outdated media laws - Eminent Journalist
30 Dec 2022 08:32pm
The government needs to review outdated laws related to the journalism profession to bring about reforms in the local media landscape - Johan Jaaffar
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Citing the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, he said the act is now seen as irrelevant as social media has also become the preferred choice for disseminating news to the public.
"Now we have social media, which has the advantage of real-time reporting, unlike the mainstream media that takes time (to publish news stories) and requires gatekeeping. This means that Malaysia needs special laws to protect and provide media freedom.
"We have many such laws, but they are old and outdated. Therefore, these laws need to be reviewed and, if necessary, abolished,” he said after launching ApaKhabarTV, an online news portal, here today.
Also present was former Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chairman Datuk Seri Azman Ujang.
The Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 was introduced, among others, to regulate the issuance of printing press licences as well as publication permits for various print media, including political party newspapers and daily newspapers.
In the meantime, Malaysian Press Institute chief executive officer Datuk Dr Chamil Wariya suggested that a law be created to impose taxes on international technology giants such as Google and Yahoo operating in this country.
Describing the move as appropriate, he said the tax obtained can be channelled to local media agencies and portals, considering that these companies benefit from local media content.
Meanwhile, commenting on the launch of ApaKhabarTV, Azman said the online news portal could open up new career opportunities for the journalism profession, and he is also optimistic that it can positively impact the country’s media landscape.
"We see a line-up of experienced journalists in ApaKhabarTV, and for me, this is a good development. It gives us space to write, which makes me confident in its quality,” he said.
ApaKhabarTV spokesperson Rashid Yusof said the news portal focuses on content that covers various interesting and critical topics involving domestic and foreign issues, produced by columnists from various backgrounds and expertise.
"We hope that one day, Malaysia has a (news and information) platform that is comprehensive up to the international level. We also aim for outsiders to be familiar with the Malay language,” he said.
Established in 2017, ApaKhabarTV is led by experienced media practitioners, including Rashid, Badrolhisham Bidin and Datuk Badrul Hisham Othman.
-- BERNAMA
