NUJ slams Fahmi for describing news report as slander
SHAH ALAM - National Union Journalist (NUJ) Malaysia slams Digital and Communication Minister Fahmi Fadzil for describing a news report as slander today.
Earlier in a Facebook post, the minister had commented on an analytical report by Berita Harian regarding the overnight policy rate (OPR) by analysts’ forecasts, accusing it of being slanderous towards the government and the central bank.
The report by Berita Harian was a forecast of the OPR quoting financial experts, which is typical news coverage by media agencies and portals nationwide.
NUJM secretary general Teh Athira Yusof said it is the norm for media agencies to also publicise their stories on their respective social media platforms which are open to the public, in order to deliver the latest news.
"As minister in charge of media, Fahmi should have been aware of this common practise where the media will run stories based on the opinions and projections of industry’s experts.
"His actions today undermine Berita Harian’s story, which was posted and linked to Facebook and commenting on the story as a lie could bring negative public perception to the media," she said.
Moreover, Fahmi’s action in commenting on the story led to the question of the promised press freedom.
"Thus, NUJM hopes that the minister can be more understanding of the stories that the local media work produces as the country’s reliable, trusted and credible news sources," she added, in a statement.
