PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Media Council Bill 2024 is expected to be tabled for the second reading at Dewan Rakyat in February 2025.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the bill proved the Madani government's commitment to strengthen the media industry by supporting journalism standards and professionalism as well as develop a code of ethics for reporting and the preparation of a free and independent complaints mechanism.
"The Malaysian Media Council will be a platform to resolve media disputes, boost public confidence towards news reporting that is verified and responsible.
"The bill will also outline the functions, power, membership, and professional code of conduct for media practitioners, thus contributing to the political stability and national security," she said during her speech at the launch of the "Artificial Intelligence: Empowering Journalists on Content and Newsroom Management" training programme here on Tuesday (Dec 17).
The Bill, aimed at setting up a self-supervisory body to protect the interest of media and its practitioners, was tabled for the first reading at Dewan Rakyat on Dec 12.
Meanwhile, the training programme coordinated by the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI), will encompass modules for the use of AI in editing, automatic writing and data analysis in journalism.
Teo said that the two-day programme will start on Wednesday (Dec 18) in stages in six regions, beginning with Klang Valley in Cyberjaya, Selangor, and Sarawak, Sabah, the south region in Johor, the East Coast region in Terengganu and the northern region in Penang.
"To ensure every media practitioner can follow this programme, MPI has taken the initiative to open participation according to region.
"With a total of 120 media practitioners and 30 Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) officers, I hope this opportunity will be put to good use," she added.
Today's launch was also attended by MPI president Datuk Yong Soo Heong, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Chief Executive Officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin and MCMC deputy managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Mohd Yasin. – Bernama
