
Govt supports media, not just to improve press freedom ranking: Fahmi
The government's goal is not merely to see Malaysia improve in the Press Freedom Index, but more importantly, to support media practitioners facing the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said that media practitioners are dealing with various urgent challenges, including employment issues, welfare concerns, and the rise of AI, which raises fears over whether it could replace the role of journalists.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Decision to review 13MP not made in haste, says Fahmi
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the prime minister had asked all ministries to study the draft of the 13MP and submit their feedback to the economy ministry. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The government's decision to review the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) is not a hasty reaction, but one that has gone through a discussion process over the past two weeks, said communications minister Fahmi Fadzil. Fahmi said the discussions began with a draft presented by the economy ministry's secretary-general to the Cabinet. 'We've actually discussed this. I mentioned (previously) that the prime minister had issued a directive to review the draft presented by the economy ministry's secretary-general. 'Any policy, programme or decision must first be presented at a Cabinet meeting. So, on Friday last week (June 20), the prime minister requested all ministries to study the draft and submit their feedback to the economy ministry,' the government spokesman said at a press conference after launching the Nadi Aspirasi Nasional Bersama Anak Muda programme organised by the community communications department (J-Kom) here today. Following that, he said, a special Cabinet meeting was held last Monday to review the feedback from the ministries. 'During the meeting, it was found that many matters raised by the ministries needed to be considered by the economy ministry in drawing up the 13MP document. 'That was one of the reasons why, at last Wednesday's Cabinet meeting – the latest one – it was decided that finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan would take on the duties and functions of the economy minister,' he said. Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli was reported to have questioned the government's move to review the 13MP, calling it a hasty response to social media criticism. This followed chief secretary to the government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar's announcement yesterday that Amir had been tasked with 'reviewing and revamping' the 13MP, while concurrently performing the duties and functions of the economy minister, effective immediately. The 13MP is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament on July 31.


Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Telegram didn't comply with many content removal requests, says Fahmi
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said MCMC had flagged 1,188,528 pieces of harmful content across social media platforms as of June 24. KUALA LUMPUR : Telegram failed to comply with many of the requests made by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to remove harmful content on the platform, says communications minister Fahmi Fadzil. Among all social media platforms, he said, Telegram has the lowest rate of compliance – less than 50% – to MCMC's requests to remove content. 'I have ordered MCMC to call Telegram for a meeting next week to discuss the issue,' he told reporters following an event at Pantai Dalam this morning. On June 19, MCMC filed a civil suit against Telegram and two of its channels for allegedly spreading harmful content that could erode trust in public institutions and threaten social order. MCMC said the two channels – 'Edisi Siasat' and 'Edisi Khas' – were found to have published content that violated provisions under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA). 'This marks the first such action taken against a social media platform provider, particularly since Telegram holds an application service provider (class) licence. 'The move follows Telegram's serious failure to address content that has been repeatedly reported to it, despite multiple negotiation and cooperation efforts by MCMC,' it said. Fahmi said that as of June 24, MCMC had flagged 1,188,528 pieces of harmful content across various social media platforms. However, only 173,642 of those requests were complied with. 'Of this number, 51% of the content removed were online gambling ads, while 24% were online scams. 'We will take strict action to ensure Malaysians do not become victims of cybercrime,' he said. He said MCMC can only make requests, but the platforms themselves have to do what is necessary to ensure the content cannot be accessed in the country.


Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Govt's revision of SST expansion proves it listens to rakyat, says Fahmi
The government announced yesterday that imported apples and oranges will be exempted from the expanded sales and service tax. (Envato Elements pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The government's decision to exempt certain imported fruits from the expansion of the sales and service tax (SST) is proof that it listens to the people, says unity government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil. 'Usually, the finance ministry does not change its position after it makes an announcement,' he said at an event in Pantai Dalam here today. Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government has decided to exempt imported apples and oranges from the expanded SST. He said the government acknowledged that many from among the poor and B40 income group would buy these imported fruits as they were affordable. The finance ministry previously said that the expansion of the SST from July 1, including a 5% rate on imported fruits, was strategically aimed at bolstering local agricultural demand and strengthening food security. Fahmi also hailed the Energy Commission's decision to lower electricity tariffs, saying this shows the government is genuine in implementing reforms that will benefit the public. On June 20, the commission said some 23.6 million domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia will enjoy fairer electricity rates, through the new tariff schedule approved by the government. Under the new tariff scheme from July 1 to the end of 2027, the base average tariff will be adjusted to 45.4 sen/kWh from the 45.62 sen/kWh which was approved in December 2024. The current base tariff of 39.95 sen/kWh was set from 2022 to 2024.