The editor-in-chief of Malaysia’s National News Agency ( Bernama ), Yong Soo Heong, has been appointed as general manager of the agency while his deputy, Zulkefli Salleh, is the new editor-in-chief.

The appointment was announced by Bernama chairperson Abdul Rahman Sulaiman today.

Abdul Rahman said Yong’s appointment was effective on Jan 1, succeeding Hasnul Hassan whose contract of service had expired.

Meanwhile, Zulkefli, 56, whose appointment took effect on March 15, was previously the deputy editor-in-chief.

“I hope they will continue to carry on the good services of the agency... which is in line with the objective of turning Bernama into the top news and information agency in Asia.

“I hope they will also be able to guide Bernama in the transformation to face the new challenges especially in tackling the challenges from the new media currently,” Abdul Rahman said.

He said that Bernama had a strong credibility all this while not only among the media practitioners but also the various strata of society.

Thus with the appointment, it was hoped that this credibility would be maintained especially among the readers, customers and end-users of Bernama , he said.

Yong, 58, began his career as a Bernama cadet reporter in August 1974 and had held the post of Bernama editor-in-chief for about six years.

He was the third Bernama journalist who started from the bottom and later rose to the post of general manager of the agency, following the footsteps of  Syed Jamil Syed Jaafar and Azman Ujang, who started out as cadet reporters and eventually rose to the post of general manager.

Meanwhile, Zulkefli started as a Bernama journalist on Sept 17, 1979 and had served as deputy editor-in-chief (domestic news) on June 1, 2007.

He had also served as Bernama manager for the Northern Region from Jan 15, 2003 before being made editor of the domestic news service on Feb 1, 2005.

On May 1, 2005, Zulkefli was appointed as editor of special functions, domestic news service before being promoted as executive editor of the domestic news service on June 1, 2006.

Meanwhile, Yong, when asked about his promotion as chief executive of the organisation, said: “I am grateful to our leaders for having faith and confidence in me to lead Bernama .

Enhancing Bernama’s visibility

“From the experience I have gained over the years with this organisation, I hope to enhance Bernama ’s overall visibility and reputation in bringing greater value to stakeholders, raise its quality and standards; and improve staff welfare.”

Zulkefli said that with the support of the Bernama editors and journalists, he would endeavour to raise further the quality of the Bernama news service to the satisfaction of the clients, stakeholders and general public.

“I thank everyone who had given me the trust to head the editorial department.

“During the cyber era currently, the credibility of the media organisation is crucial and must be preserved so that Bernama continues to become a source of reference for news by its clients and the general public not only in the country but also in Asia,” he said.

Bernama , which was set up in 1967 as a news agency and disseminator of information, has grown rapidly and is now handling various news services including Radio24 and Bernama TV .

- Bernama