KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching has described the inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) held yesterday as a historic milestone, marking progress in efforts to strengthen the nation’s media institutions.
She said the AGM was successfully organised with comprehensive participation from media practitioners nationwide.
“So congratulations not only to those who were elected, but also to all media practitioners who were willing to spend their time to make this AGM a success,” she told reporters after the meeting here yesterday.
Teo also expressed pride that half of the elected council members were women, reflecting their strength and significant role in the media industry.
“I see not only journalists from Johor but also from Sarawak and Sabah. As a woman leader, I am very proud because among those elected, 50 per cent are women.
“This shows firstly, the strength of women in this media industry, and secondly, that our colleagues in the industry are progressive and have no issue providing equal opportunities to both genders,” she said.
She said the establishment of the MMC was also expected to serve as a platform to enhance professionalism and reporting ethics in the digital era.
“We need the MMC to advise this industry so it can be more professional, and so that we can always refer to the MMC for more expert perspectives,” she said, adding that media literacy was crucial to help the public distinguish high-quality reporting and credible news sources.
A total of 12 individuals were elected to the MMC Board, representing three categories — media companies, journalists and media associations, as well as members of the public and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Those elected under the media company category were former interim MMC chairman C. Premesh, New Straits Times Group Editor Farrah Naz Abd Karim, Star Media Group Berhad Chief Content Officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng Sek Yee, and The Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo General Manager Wong Yang Yong.
For the journalists and media associations category, those elected were Mohamad Fauzi Ishak of the Malaysian Media Clubs Federation (GKMM), Mariah Airens Doksil (Sabah Journalists Association), Mohd Ishak Abdillah Ngah (Terengganu Journalists Club) and Adie Suri Zulkefli (Kedah Elite Media Club).
Representing the public and NGOs category were Zaharom Nain, Terence Ooi Guan Tseng, Cythia Lorraine Silva and Medina Mahmood.
The MMC is an independent body established as a self-regulatory mechanism for the national media industry and plays a role in promoting journalistic ethics and media freedom. — Bernama
