AS The Star marks its 55th anniversary, one thing remains constant: its appetite for hard-hitting investigative journalism.
Over the decades, Star Media Group (SMG) has built a reputation for taking on difficult stories and delivering impact, earning recognition along the way.
A standout chapter in that journey was the work of R.AGE, whose investigations into child exploitation and trafficking not only won top honours, but also helped push real-world change.
In 2017, the team bagged the Kajai Award under the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI), the country’s highest journalism honour, for its “Predator In My Phone” investigation which exposed child sexual abuse and exploitation.
The momentum continued in 2018, when it clinched the Kajai Award again for its “Student/Trafficked” series, leading to action against implicated colleges.
Beyond the newsroom, its impact extended further.
The “Predator In My Phone” campaign also swept three golds at the Marketing Excellence Awards 2017 and contributed to the passing of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
The Star’s investigative pedigree, however, goes back even further.
In 2010, journalists Elan Perumal and Stuart Michael delivered the paper’s first MPI Gold Prize for Best Investigative Reporting with “Sand pirates”, exposing a cross-border operation in Johor where millions of ringgit worth of sand was illegally extracted and smuggled out via Sungai Johor, highlighting serious enforcement gaps.
The Star’s strengths also extend to visual storytelling.
In 2025, Tung Eng Hwa, Hassan Bahri and Muhammad Hafeez Aminuddin won gold for Best Climate Infographics at the WAN-IFRA Asia Media Awards.
Earlier in 2019, Tung clinched gold for Best Cover Design at the MPI Awards, underscoring the role of strong visual presentation in complementing newsroom storytelling.
In 2024, guided by whistleblower disclosures, Bavani M and Shalini Ravindran uncovered issues surrounding flood retention ponds in a series of investigative reports in StarMetro.
The series went on to win gold in the Best Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) category.
The Star’s success spans multiple sections, with wins in photojournalism, sports journalism, editorial writing, features, community service, newspaper marketing, social media, tablet publishing, online video, digital content and best lifestyle website – among the many accolades collected over the past two decades.
Recognition has also extended beyond journalism.
At the 2025 Putra Brand Awards, SMG retained gold for the third consecutive year in the Media and Networks category, reflecting the trust and credibility it continues to build with readers while evolving with changing media habits.
