KUALA LUMPUR: Investigations on journalists are not initiated automatically as any complaints are first referred to the Malaysian Media Council (MMC), says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said there have been no cases directly involving journalists in the past year, despite many unfavourable "reports".
"Media practitioners remain subject to the law. However, I agree that journalists should not be easily drawn into cases initiated by government departments," he told the Dewan Rakyat during the Prime Minister's Question Time on Tuesday (July 7).
He said the process has become easier after the establishment of the MMC.
"Journalists working with established media organisations will not automatically be charged or investigated as the current process requires matters to be referred to the MMC before any decision is made.
"This represents a very good form of oversight agreed upon by Parliament" he said.
He was responding to a question by Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin) citing the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) executive director saying that factors such as political interference, specific laws relating to 3R issues, self-censorship, conflicts of ownership and intimidation of media practitioners had affected the country's World Press Freedom Index ranking.
Mohd Isam had asked if the government's position on Malaysia's legal framework, under which journalists or media practitioners may still face penalties under laws such as the Sedition Act and the Official Secrets Act.
Anwar also said relevant authorities responsible for communications and media matters have been instructed to look into the issues that affected the country's position in the global press freedom index.
Malaysia fell seven places to 95th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
"When we examine the indicators used by RSF, these include the political context, the legal framework, economic conditions, the social and cultural environment and security aspects.
"When we took action in cases involving Sin Chew for example, it became a major issue because the action was viewed as a violation of media freedom.
"However, the matter concerned the national flag in that case and was resolved properly. The national flag is a serious matter for us, even if other countries view it differently.
"Similarly, when Sinar Harian published a biography of the Inspector-General of Police linked to a political party, the matter was subsequently resolved.
"However, taking action against established media organisations impacts our index," he said.
Anwar said such cases would be referred directly to the MMC, which is led by former Federal Court judge Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan and individuals with greater expertise and objectivity in making assessments.
"Before the establishment of the Malaysia Media Council, there was no such mechanism.
"A more objective approach will be taken because when there is a case" he said.
However, he said that content removal are also based on complaints from the public and platforms.
"The public can make complaints directly to platforms such as TikTok or Facebook and these platforms have the authority to remove content. This is not done by the government," he said.
"When I made statements relating to Hamas and its supporters, the content was removed.
"This was included among matters related to the media freedom index.
"I disagree with that because I made a statement opposing such views – but that was the decision made by the platform," he added.
Anwar was responding to a question from Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) on the factors behind Malaysia's fall to 95th place in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index from 88th in 2025 and the government's comprehensive measures to safeguard media freedom.
