Sabah limits journalists to 12 hours' field work a day

KOTA KINABALU: Journalists in Sabah will only be able to cover news events from 7am to 7pm during the two-week lockdown from June 1-14.

Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said that movement of journalists for news coverage by print and online media would be limited until 7pm and 3am for electronic or broadcast media.

Printing operations for Sabah-based newspapers would be allowed to continue as usual, Masidi said in his daily statement on Monday (May 31).

He said any applications for additional working hours had to be made to the state Covid-19 management committee.

He said it was important that the media be allowed to operate as it provided accurate and reliable information to the public.

The announcement came as a surprise to journalists who had been covering the pandemic since last year.

Journalists had the freedom to move without restrictions to cover events and news breaks since movement controls came into place last year.

Journalists only needed to have a valid media card from the Information Department and a letter from their employer.