MALAYSIA, INDONESIA STRENGTHEN MEDIA COOPERATION THROUGH MMM-PRESS COUNCIL - TEO

BANTEN (Indonesia), Feb 9 (Bernama) -- The establishment of the Malaysia Media Council (MMM) presents an opportunity for Malaysia to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia through its Press Council in efforts to enhance journalistic professionalism and media industry development in both countries.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said Indonesia’s Press Council, which has been in existence for more than five decades, has extensive experience in upholding professional journalism standards in the republic.

“I am optimistic that the establishment of the MMM allows Malaysia to learn from the experience of the Press Council, while also opening space for closer collaboration between the two institutions.

“Through this cooperation, we hope to foster more ethical, transparent and effective journalistic practices, while supporting the development of a sustainable, professional and community-oriented media industry,” she said during a dialogue session with Indonesian editors-in-chief and office bearers of the Ikatan Setiakawan Wartawan Indonesia-Malaysia (ISWAMI), here today.

Also present were the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, RTM deputy director-general (Strategic) Hamzah Ishak, and ISWAMI Malaysia president Datuk Ahmad Zaini Kamaruzzaman.

The Press Council is Indonesia’s self-regulatory media body tasked with safeguarding press freedom, monitoring compliance with journalistic ethics and handling public complaints against media organisations.

Teo, who arrived in Jakarta yesterday, is on a three-day working visit and is scheduled to meet her Indonesian counterpart, Nezar Patria, tomorrow.

She said the MMM, established in June 2025, functions as an independent self-regulatory body aimed at strengthening journalistic ethics, ensuring responsible press freedom and providing a transparent and professional public complaints mechanism to ensure public voices are heard.

Teo also highlighted Malaysia’s recently announced Media Innovation Fund, amounting to RM30 million, which aims to help local media organisations adapt to digital transformation and advertising shifts increasingly dominated by global platforms such as Google and Meta.

“The fund is not intended to influence editorial coverage, but to enable local media to transform their operations, leverage technologies including AI, and continue delivering quality content to the public,” she said.

On media welfare, she noted that the government, through Bernama, introduced the Tabung Kasih@HAWANA initiative, which has benefited 632 recipients since its launch in 2023 up to Feb 6 this year.

Teo also invited Indonesian editors-in-chief to attend the Malaysian National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA) 2026 celebration, scheduled to be held in Penang on June 13.

-- BERNAMA