Military, media cooperation vital to combat fake news in crises
Karangkraf, NRC join forces to equip security personnel with media skills.
SHAH ALAM – The understanding of security officers and personnel regarding the importance of sharing accurate and timely information with the public is crucial in managing situations during a crisis or emergency.
National Resilience College (NRC) Commandant Major General Datuk Johnny Lim Eng Seng said comprehensive cooperation between the military and the media was crucial to ensure information was disseminated quickly and accurately, thus preventing the spread of fake news.
"Such understanding is essential for senior officers because once they graduate from NRC, they would hold key positions and might face a crisis where they need to deal with the media.
"As top-level officers, they must be aware of the situation and feel comfortable with the media, as this ensured that the information conveyed was accurate and instilled confidence in the public," he said when met after the Media Management Workshop with the Karangkraf Group here on Monday.
The workshop involving 24 NRC participants was also attended by senior military officers including representatives from Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Jordan and Qatar.
Meanwhile, Karangkraf Group Joint Advisor Datuk Muhammad Nasir Hamzah said that media-related knowledge should be extended to various national security organisations and should not be limited to high-ranking military personnel.
He said understanding the procedures for dealing with the media was vital to ensure information shared with the public was more accurate and effective, especially in today's technological era.
“If they were exposed to the media, they could handle cases more effectively and contribute something beneficial to the country.
“Programmes like this should be extended to other organisations such as the police and fire department and should not be limited to the military because media-handling knowledge is very important.
“Security personnel are the backbone of national defence, so they must be able to turn to the media so that the public receives accurate information,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sinar Harian Group Editor-in-Chief Zamri Rambli said the second edition of the programme provided NRC participants with exposure on crafting accurate narratives, conducting press conferences, issuing official statements, denials and responses to issues based on given scenarios.
“The world today is complex, fast-paced and everything happens in real time.
“Therefore, they needed to know how to respond quickly, what narrative to build and how to establish good relationships between security organisations and the media to ensure smooth two-way communication during critical situations,” he said.
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