KUALA LUMPUR: In conjunction with National Journalists Day (Hawana) 2025, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced an allocation of RM30 million to aid media organisations in their digital transformation efforts.
"We want to ensure the journalism world is not left behind in adopting Artificial Intelligence while also maintaining a balance between AI and ethics," he said during his speech at the National Journalists Day (Hawana) 2025 at WTC Kuala Lumpur on Saturday (June 14).
"The government has agreed to allocate RM30 million for journalists. This is the largest allocation the government has provided for journalists since Merdeka," he added.
Anwar said the allocation would be used for training.
He said the journalism fraternity must strike a balance between the development of technology and journalism ethics.
At a press conference later, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said that the RM30mil fund is meant to help the media organisations to navigate through the changing journalism landscape.
He said the changes included the shift of the interests of news audiences and emergence of technologies.
"The fund is for the organisations to ensure their sustainability amidst the changes.
"The government also hopes that this funding could help the media to undergo digital transformation," he said, adding that its detailed mechanisms would be announced later.
Themed "Journalism in the New Era: Embracing AI, Safeguarding Ethics," Hawana 2025 was organised by the Communications Ministry with Bernama as the implementing agency.
