PRESS FREEDOM
KL urged to respect new media
Journalists' union praises role of 'citizen reporters', calls for removal of restrictions
The National Union of Journalists of Malaysia has urged the government to acknowledge the existence of Internet citizen reporting and blogging as a new media for disseminating information. NUJ president Norila Mohd Daud said this online phenomenon had a great impact on the country as an alternative information source on current issues affecting the public. "The usage of Internet and the concept of the uncensored 'borderless world' have made information more easily accessible to anyone. As such, any abuses by public officials can be immediately exposed on the Internet," she said in a statement issued yesterday in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day. Norila said it was also in line with the government's mission to ensure greater accountability and transparency, as well as improving its delivery system. At the same time, she said the growth of this new media channel had changed the current journalism landscape. "In view of this latest development, NUJ feels that the government should accord greater freedom to the local media by amending restrictive laws such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and Official Secrets Act [OSA]," she said. Meanwhile, three members of parliament claimed press freedom was still lacking in Malaysia and the overlapping of laws controlling the media made it difficult for it to "breathe". National Coalition's Kota Melaka MP Wong Nai Chee, Tumpat MP Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar and Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw all agreed that it was imperative to protect the independence of local journalists. During a forum at a World Press Freedom Day event called "Press Freedom, Safety of Journalists, and Impunity" yesterday, Wong said press freedom was not given priority nor was it at the forefront of the country's political agenda. "Politicians fear [raising press freedom issues] will be self-inflicting and bring about political damage," he said yesterday at the event organised by Asian Institute for Development Communication. He said the press would be freer when laws did not overlap. Wong cited the Printing Presses and Publications Act, which required the media to apply for a permit to print newspapers and was revocable at any time, as an example. However, Wong said some form of regulation was necessary due to the intertwining of race, culture and religion in the country. He stressed that access to information should be easily available to ensure news of public interest was reported.
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