KOTA KINABALU: Media organisations should look into revising salaries and incentives to attract more young people to journalism, said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
"There is a limited number of young individuals opting for journalism as a career, partly due to the less appealing salary packages.
"Media organisations play a crucial role in ensuring the sustainability of the journalism industry in Sabah with the involvement of the younger generation as successors in this field.
"These efforts are vital for preserving the future of journalism in Sabah," said Hajiji when officiating the Kinabalu Press Awards 2023 here last night.
Present at the event were Communications and Digital minister Fahmi Fadzil and Sabah Journalists Association president Datuk Mugunthan Vanar.
Mugunthan said that the Covid-19 pandemic saw many media houses retrenching staff or implementing pay cuts among other cost cutting measures.
"Today with the pandemic over, the media continues to struggle. Many national media organisations have shut their offices here in Sabah and left behind skeleton staff and in many cases stringers or freelancers are now doing the job.
"There are also little signs from the local media owners hiring new young reporters.
"(But), the mainstream media remains very much relevant in this new landscape. It is important for our media barons and the government to help in ensuring the mainstream media continues to play a key role in providing fair, balanced news reports in the midst of daily spins of fake news to "half-truths" in social media.
"Our theme this year, Progress Through Smart Partnership, I believe is apt for these challenging times."
He also said that a strong working relationship between media and government is vital as the government relies on the mass media to communicate with the people, and it is important for the media to have access to information.