PUTRAJAYA – The National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) celebrations this year will serve as a platform to bring together media organisations from across Asean, aiming to strengthen ties and cooperation while identifying the latest challenges in the industry.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said that Hawana would definitely invite media practitioners from Asean member states to participate in certain programmes in conjunction with Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship.
“I hope that during Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship, we can have our media counterparts from across Asean, besides the official media and other media companies, come to Kuala Lumpur.
“This will help us understand the challenges faced by our media counterparts within the Asean region. At the same time, I believe that discussions among these media organisations will chart a positive direction for the industry as a whole.”
Fahmi said this to reporters after attending the Communications Ministry’s monthly assembly here today, which was also attended by his deputy, Teo Nie Ching.
Meanwhile, Fahmi noted that the challenges faced by the media industry right now include declining advertising expenditure, as companies are redirecting their advertising budgets to social media platforms.
“Also (to be discussed are) issues relating to media freedom, the journalism code of ethics, and the spread of fake news, which could significantly impact the credibility of the media industry and the media organisations.
“I hope that during Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship, we can get together, engage in discussions, and identify potential solutions for the media industry,” he said, adding that all information gathered from the discussions on Hawana platform could also be presented at the Asean Ministers Responsible for Information meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, later in May.
In his speech earlier, Fahmi also expressed confidence that Bernama and RTM are capable of fulfilling their roles as the official media and broadcaster for Asean effectively.
“During Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship, Bernama, as the official media, and RTM, as the official broadcaster, must play their roles, and I am confident they will carry out their duties excellently,” he said.
He also emphasised that the government remains committed to ensuring that the media in Malaysia is free and capable of performing their duties.
Prior to this, Fahmi announced that Bernama had been appointed as the official media and Coordinator for the International Media Centre for Asean Summit 2025, while RTM had been appointed as the official broadcaster. – January 23, 2025