Press freedom not a gift from gov't, says US professor

Article 10 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution guarantees Malaysians the right to freedom of speech, but there is a penumbra of laws that restricts this freedom.

These laws can be identified as the Sedition Act 1948, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA), the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA) and the Anti-Fake News Act 2018.

The Pakatan Harapan government had promised in its manifesto to ensure press freedom by repealing all of these laws, among other initiatives.

However, journalism professor at George Washington University Janet Steele has urged journalists in Malaysia to take initiative in the road to press freedom ...