Press freedom is vital for a vibrant and functioning economy - Johan Jaaffar

I applaud the assurance by the Deputy Communication and Digital Minster, Teo Nie Ching that the government respects freedom of the press and acknowledges the important role played by media practitioners in this country.

She is reiterating the position taken by the Minister Fahmi Fadzil earlier that freedom of the media is critical in ensuring an effective check and balance process of the unity government.

Press freedom is vital for a vibrant and functioning economy. We need a free press more so now than ever before. Many political parties that made up of the unity government have been in the opposition before. I am sure they are fully aware of the unfair and biased reporting by many segments of the media fraternity at the time.

Things have changed dramatically in the media realm. The Internet is the biggest disruptor of the traditional media. The cyber world is changing news gathering and the disseminating of news.

For the mainstream media to stay relevant, media practitioners must ensure its relevance.

Therefore it is incumbent upon the journalism fraternity to prove its worth. Politicians come and go. Journalists stay. They are judged by their professionalism, their adherence to the code of ethics and the acceptable standard of accountability. The demand for fairness and independence is growing louder now.

The government must ensure a free press can operate under a conducive atmosphere without fear and favour.

While it is true that “fake news” is of little worth and a nuisance to society, but it should not be used as a pretext to clamp down on dissenting views.

I agree that the unity government must take a serious look into “hate speech”. I am equally concerned there are those who are abusing the cyberspace to promote discord and disunity among the races. However the state apparatuses must not be used indiscriminately to silence critical media voices.

A censorious government has no place in today’s world. The fundamental right to seek and disseminate information through an independent press and the cyberspace should always be respected.

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*Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar is a veteran journalist and National Journalism Laureate