KUALA LUMPUR: The newly-launched Malaysian Code of Ethics for Journalists has been accused as a clear attempt by the government to control and censor the media and freedom of speech, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) said.
Its director Zaid Malek claimed that the so-called improved code of ethics is simply a backdoor way of reviving the Anti-Fake News law, couched in terms of "journalistic ethics", where the credibility of any news and its sources will be determined by the government.
He added that it is "surprising and inappropriate" for the government to launch a supposedly improved code of ethics for journalism before the Media Council has been formally instituted.
The matter, said Zaid, was akin to putting the cart before the horse.
"It thus raises an alarm when (Communications Minister) Fahmi (Fadzil) also confirmed that the Information Department is authorised to rely on the code of ethics to cancel media accreditation cards.
"This cannot be perceived as anything else but as a standing and continuous threat towards the press. It is obvious then that the government is using the code of ethics to further strengthen its control over the media.
"It is now yet another form of control the government exerts over the media, in addition to the existing draconian laws that are still in existence, like the Printing Press and Publications Act 1984, the Sedition Act 1948, the Official Secrets Act 1972 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998," the statement said.
He reminded the Communications Ministry that Article 10 of the Federal Constitution is also a universal concept, which is respected and protected by any properly democratic government.
"The government must immediately move towards the establishment of an independent Media Council so that the media industry themselves will regulate journalistic ethics and the credibility of the news, and not create yet another regulation by which the government can exert more control over the press.
"An independent media and the marketplace of ideas, through traditional platforms or otherwise, is crucial to a healthy and functioning democracy. It cannot be achieved if the government makes itself the sole purveyor of truth and information," he said.
Academician Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Merican Merican described the code of ethics for journalists as outright inappropriate and an incorrect move by the government.
He also said the code is unnecessary if it resembles the provisions of the existing laws in the country.
"Look at the draft code of 2021 submitted by the Malaysian Press Institute to improve it. We must reassess the function and value of this ethics code.
"Many questions remain unanswered. Instead of the Information Department, it is the Malaysian Press Institute needs to play a role as the manager, registrar, and implementor.
"Where is the Malaysian Journalists Association that was said to have been established? Ethical codes should be part of the Media Council, for which a bill should be proposed as a private member's Bill; not by the Minister," he wrote in a posting on his Facebook today.
Fahmi described the code of ethics as a guideline for media agencies to carry out their duties, thus promoting professionalism and integrity of the media as a source of news and information trusted by the people. (hyperlink: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/02/1015414/code-ethics-journalis...)
The code of ethics, said Fahmi, was developed by the Communications Ministry through the Malaysian Information Department (JaPen).