Historic Malaysia Media Council Bill Passed In Parliament

The Malaysia Media Council (MMC) Bill 2024 had just been passed by Dewan Rakyat, marking a historic moment for Malaysia’s media industry. The bill is set to ensure media freedom, and that the public receives accurate, credible, and fair information.

After intense debate by 18 members of Parliament, the bill to establish the MMC was passed with a majority vote.

MMC Bill first brought to Cabinet in 2019

Deputy Communications Minister, Teo Nie Ching, told Dewan Rakyat that the idea of forming a committee or organisation to coordinate media industry governance was first proposed as far back as 1973.

However, the establishment of the MMC was only brought to the Cabinet and approved in December 2019. The council’s kick-off meeting was held in January 2020.

MMC to allow the industry to self-regulate

Teo mentions that the establishment of the MMC will  allow for the media industry to implement checks and balances. This will enhance integrity and ethical compliance.

One of the challenges that the industry currently faces is an absence of a standard reporting code of ethics. Currently there are no common standards applicable to all media practitioners in Malaysia.

According to Teo, if the public feels affected by media reporting, they currently have no platform to lodge complaints, nor is there a resolution mechanism through the existing legal process in the courts.

Teo added that the formation of the MNC will help create a comprehensive code of ethics for the industry.

Training and professional development

Under the bill, the MMC will also be responsible for coordinating matters related to training, capacity building, and professional development of journalists and media organisations.

It will also be responsible for managing and maintaining a database containing information on media practitioners and independent media practitioners. Having this data will support the continuous development of the media and journalism industry.