It’s time to form the Media Council
Zaini said the establishment of the Media Council was also able to increase the professionalism of journalists to a higher level thus creating a new benchmark for the profession.
KUALA LUMPUR: The establishment of the Media Council at this time is seen to coincide with the times and needs of the current industry in ensuring the welfare of media practitioners and the quality of news is at the best level.
BebasNews.My Editorial Advisor Datuk Zaini Hassan said the establishment of the Media Council was also able to raise the professionalism of journalists to a higher level thus creating a new benchmark for the profession.
“I and several other senior journalists have always mentioned this matter, it is time for us to establish a Media Council. Let this Media Council be the arbiter of what is done by individuals or a media organization.
“We have to differentiate between social media practitioners and real journalists. As journalists, we know the basics of journalism because we are taught and trained towards professional journalism. Let these journalists have an institution that will monitor and protect them,” he said in the Malaysia Petang Ini program titled ‘World Media Freedom Day Celebration’ published by Bernama TV today.
Commenting on the celebration of World Media Freedom Day, Zaini who is also the former Senior Editor of Utusan Malaysia said the celebration is seen as quite significant and the true meaning of freedom needs to be appreciated in order to improve the role of media practitioners in reporting news based on the values of professionalism.
“As a media organization, we are responsible for giving criticism, reprimands and thoughts to all parties. If we look at Indonesia, they already report (news) freely without having to fear certain parties.
“If it is true that Malaysia is ranked 73rd in the World Media Freedom Index 2023, then we need to practice that media freedom. The government should carry out reforms so that this matter can be implemented,” he said.
