BUTTERWORTH: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed his appreciation to all local media practitioners, especially those who continue to discharge their responsibilities with the utmost ethics and integrity in informing the public.
The Prime Minister said the task facing media practitioners today is far from easy, especially amid the rapid advancement of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI), which have brought new challenges to the media industry.
"I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for the longstanding service and contributions of media practitioners in Malaysia,” he said when officiating the National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) 2026 main event at the PICCA Convention Centre @ Butterworth Arena here on Saturday (June 20).
Anwar said media practitioners play an important role in helping to strengthen public understanding of the government’s various policies and national development agenda.
He added that freedom of expression and the dissemination of information must continue to be upheld, but these should be balanced with responsibility and guided by ethical principles to ensure that information conveyed is accurate, credible and responsible.
"People are often preoccupied with economic growth, digitalisation, energy transition and AI, but we must not forget that these new frameworks should not come at the expense of ethics and values.
"Whether what is conveyed is true or false, right or wrong, is determined by ethics and values, and not merely by facts. This is a major challenge that we must confront and uphold,” he said.
The Prime Minister said freedom must be given space in a democratic society, but at the same time, it must be balanced with responsibility to prevent it from being abused in ways that could undermine the stability of the country’s system and institutions.
He said responsible dissemination of information plays a crucial role in helping the public make informed judgments on issues, particularly in an era marked by an explosion of information and social media.
Also present were Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Penang state secretary Datuk Seri Zulkifli Long, Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah, Timor-Leste Secretary of State for Social Communication Expedito Loro Dias Ximenes, and the ministry's deputy secretary-general (Strategic Communications and Creative Industry) Datuk Bahria Mohd Tamil.
Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, Bernama chief executive officer and Hawana 2026 Working Committee chairman Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, Bernama editor-in-chief and Hawana 2026 Working Committee deputy chairman Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, and Bernama deputy editor-in-chief (News Service) and Hawana 2026 project director Mohd Shukri Ishak, were also in attendance.
Held under the theme ‘Media Integrity Strengthens Credibility’, the Hawana 2026 main event brought together more than 1,000 media practitioners from Malaysia and abroad, as well as delegates from Timor-Leste, Cambodia and Laos.
At the event, the Prime Minister witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bernama and Timor-Leste’s national news agency, TATOLI, and presented the Hawana Award to former director-general of broadcasting Datuk Suhaimi Sulaiman and the Hawana 2026 Special Award to former Bernama Radio chief, the late Azlan Idris, in recognition of their significant contributions to the development of the country’s media industry.
He also presented prizes to TV3 and Bernama, which were named champion and runner-up, respectively, at the Hawana-Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) 2026 Pantun Festival, and handed over Tabung Kasih@Hawana contributions to three more media industry practitioners to help ease the burden of those currently facing health challenges.
The event was further enlivened by a boria performance by the Penang branch of the National Department for Culture and Arts, as well as performances by singers Hattan, Khadijah Ibrahim and Haziq Rosebi. – Bernama
