Media Council Bill to be tabled at next Parliament session

The Malaysian Media Council bill is expected to be tabled during the Third Meeting of the Third Session of the 15th Parliament, which is slated to begin in mid-October, according to Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.

She said the Communications Ministry is in the final stage of finalising the content, together with the Protem Committee of the Malaysian Media Council which consists of representatives of the media industry, academics and the public.

“This is to ensure that the provisions in the bill are clear and that the establishment of the media council will meet the objectives.”

Teo said this when winding up the debate on the motion for the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) Annual Report and Financial Statement for 2021 and 2022 for the Communications Ministry at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

She said that last May, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) asked the ministry to refer the bill to the Malaysian Productivity Corporation for Regulatory Impact Analysis.

Teo said once the draft is finalised and the RIA process is completed, it will be submitted to the AGC for further review.

“After the AGC review, the ministry will present a cabinet memorandum to obtain approval for the tabling of the bill in Parliament,” she said.

The proposed establishment of a media council is to develop and implement a code of reporting ethics that can empower the nation's journalism profession and ensure news reporting by the media is done responsibly.

It also serves to promote communication between media practitioners, the government and the public as well as support the professional development of journalists and media organisations.

- Bernama

'Media practitioners should exercise freedom of expression responsibly'

Group rues Malaysia's 'appalling' slide in press freedom index

COMMENT | If Anwar is bad, Najib was worse

Zaid urges editors to unite against 'Madani censorship'

PPPA and its expansion are tools to control media, activists say

Teo defends govt censoring 'media bad actors' that spread fake news