Latest news with #MMCAct2025
The Star
4 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Media council opens membership sign-up next month
PUTRAJAYA: Membership registration for the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) will take place from early August to the end of September, with a nominal fee of RM10, say the council's founding board members. Applications can be submitted at the council said in a statement yesterday, Bernama reported. 'Membership is open to media owners, professionals, individuals and organisations involved in the media ecosystem, as well as those representing the public's interest,' the statement read. This was announced after members of the founding board received their letters of appointment from Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil (pic). The MMC also announced that its inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled to take place on Nov 7 in Kuala Lumpur. At the AGM, new board members will be elected and key matters will be discussed, including the membership fee structure, the industry's code of ethics, the complaints mechanism, the annual budget and MMC's bylaws. At its first meeting, the founding board appointed Premesh Chandran as interim chairperson, pending the election of a full board later this year. As an independent self-regulatory body for Malaysia's media industry, the MMC is expected to play a pivotal role in promoting ethical and responsible journalism, establishing the industry code of ethics and serving as a bridge between the media, government and the public. 'The MMC will enhance professionalism in the media industry and protect public interest within an increasingly complex media environment,' MMC added. MMC said its structure is designed to ensure broad representation, with the founding board consisting of elected representatives from media publishers, media professionals and public interest groups, including academics and members of civil society. 'Additionally, the government may appoint two representatives. Notably, the MMC Act 2025 stipulates that at least 25% of board members must come from Sabah and Sarawak, and leadership of the Council must reflect gender parity – a first in Malaysia,' it said. In the same statement, founding board member Phyllis Wong, representing Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo, expressed her honour at being entrusted with this responsibility. She felt encouraged by the collective commitment to uphold media ethics and accountability, even though the MMC is not yet fully operational.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
MMC to begin membership registration in August, AGM scheduled for November
PUTRAJAYA: Membership registration for the Malaysia Media Council (MMC) will open in early August and close at the end of September, with a nominal fee of RM10, according to the Council's Founding Board Members. In a statement issued today following the presentation of appointment letters to the members of the Founding Board by Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, MMC announced that applications can be submitted via its official website at "Membership is open to media owners, professionals, individuals and organisations involved in the media ecosystem, as well as those representing the public's interest," the statement read. The MMC also announced that its inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled to take place on Nov 7 in Kuala Lumpur. At the AGM, new board members will be elected and key matters will be discussed, including the membership fee structure, the industry's code of ethics, complaints mechanism, annual budget and MMC's by-laws. At its first meeting, the Founding Board appointed Premesh Chandran as Interim Chairperson, pending the election of a full board later this year. As an independent self-regulatory body for Malaysia's media industry, the MMC is expected to play a pivotal role in promoting ethical and responsible journalism, establishing the industry code of ethics and serving as a bridge between the media, government and the public. "The MMC will enhance professionalism in the media industry and protect public interest within an increasingly complex media environment," MMC added. MMC said its structure is designed to ensure broad representation, with the Founding Board consisting of elected representatives from media publishers, media professionals and public interest groups, including academics and members of civil society. "Additionally, the government may appoint two representatives. Notably, the MMC Act 2025 stipulates that at least 25 per cent of board members must come from Sabah and Sarawak, and leadership of the Council must reflect gender parity — a first in Malaysia," it said. In the same statement, Founding Board member Phyllis Wong, of the Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo, said she felt honoured to be entrusted with the responsibility, and was encouraged by the shared commitment to uphold media ethics and accountability, despite MMC not yet being fully operational. "This marks the beginning of a unified voice for responsible journalism in Malaysia," she said. Fellow board member Ronnie Teo, of the Kuching Division Journalists Association, described the MMC as a long-awaited platform to bring together media professionals across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. — BERNAMA
The Sun
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
MMC urges constructive approach to Sinar Harian error
KUALA LUMPUR: The recent publication error by local daily Sinar Harian involving the profile of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail needs to be resolved through a constructive approach, not based on punitive measures. The Malaysian Media Council (MMC) is of the view that invoking punitive laws only undermines media freedom. 'The remedy for flawed journalism is better journalism, not intimidation or suppression. 'While media organisations are bound by the responsibility to report accurately and ethically, it is also important that such errors are addressed constructively and within the proper frameworks,' it said in a statement issued by the MMC Founding Board today. Recently, Sinar Harian published an infographic of Mohd Khalid's biodata, which stated that he had held a high position in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). However, the newspaper has since retracted the infographic and issued a public apology. In this case, the MMC said Sinar Harian had apologised and asked to meet with the IGP, who has also agreed to the meeting. 'We (MMC) believe the meeting between the two parties will resolve this matter constructively. MMC said that mistakes, while regrettable, can and do happen in any profession. What matters is how they are addressed. The media must, in turn, respond to such lapses with transparency, humility, and a commitment to improve,' it added. The statement added that although MMC has yet to be formally constituted, this situation reaffirms the need to uphold the fundamental values of responsible journalism and the importance of fact-checking, especially when reporting on key national institutions. It said that MMC is committed to fostering a media environment that respects freedom of expression within the bounds of professional, responsible and ethical journalism. MMC is established under the MMC Act 2025, which came into effect on June 14. The MMC Founding Board is made up of 12 members, comprising four representatives for each category, namely media owners, media practitioners and non-media practitioners.
