JOHOR BARU: It was a triumphant night for The Star's Johor bureau, which bagged four major awards at the Johor Media Awards 2025.
Journalist Yee Xiang Yun took home the second top honour, the Johor Corporation (JCORP) Sustainability Award, for her article titled “Johor’s refuge for giants”, which came with RM3,000 in cash and a trophy.
Venesa Devi bagged two awards, the Best Environmental Reporting Award for her piece “Encounters with the Wild” and the Best Tourism Reporting Award for “Attracting Tourists Year-Round to Johor", while Mohd Farhaan Shah won the Best Economic News award with his article's headline "Reaping a rich bounty".
All category winners walked away with cash prizes of RM2,000 for each category, together with a trophy.
Meanwhile, retired journalist Rizal Abdullah, who previously served with The Star's Johor bureau and represented Malaysia in numerous international sports assignments, was honoured with the Johor Special Media Award for his lifelong contributions to journalism.
The Star's news editor Nelson Benjamin, who is also Johor Bureau chief, said he was proud of the team’s success and attributed their win to strong commitment and teamwork.
"All the stories that were picked were mainly community and people-centric.
"That is what The Star has always been focusing on as we always try to highlight the people's voices, " he added.
In his speech, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi congratulated all winners and expressed his joy over the revival of the awards ceremony after a seven-year hiatus.
“With the cooperation of all parties, the media awards have finally returned since 2018. I extend my congratulations to all our media friends in the state who truly deserve the recognition tonight,” he said.
Onn Hafiz also said the state government was open to supporting upskilling and reskilling opportunities for media practitioners, including short courses abroad to strengthen their professional capabilities.
“We must ensure our media practitioners are able to stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers in Singapore and other countries.
“My office will also assist in facilitating future coverage in Singapore so that Johor’s achievements and collaborations with investors can be effectively highlighted," he added.
A total of 296 entries were received for 17 categories, which were judged by a panel from the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI).
