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Journalists need to unite to fight ‘instant journalists’ and fake news

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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the launch of the National Journalists Day (Hawana) 2022 celebration in Melaka on Sunday (May 29) – PHOTO: BERNAMA

MELAKA: Journalists in Malaysia need to unite and play a role in the dissemination of verified and true information as a way to curb the rampant spread of fake news.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said media organisations and journalists can help to deflect and reject fake news and advise ‘instant journalists’ not to carry out such acts.

“The field of journalism was filled with challenges, especially with the development of technology which has given birth to many “instant journalists”.

“That’s why fake or unverified news was able to spread widely online, thus affecting the country’s development,” he said when launching the National Journalists Day (Hawana) 2022 celebration here Sunday (May 29).

Ismail Sabri said future journalists need to receive sufficient formal training in developing expertise, responsibility and integrity to raise journalism as a noble and respected profession.

Thus, he said, a centre for journalism studies needs to be established to support the standards and boost the professionalism level of journalism in the country, says

He said the centre could collect reference data from various studies conducted to strengthen journalism in Malaysia and involve interaction with various social fields spanning different cultural contexts.

For that purpose, he urged that the centre be established in Melaka, taking into consideration its historical links with the development of journalism.

“I hope academics and researchers can benefit from this centre and conduct historical research on how journalism evolved in Malaysia and the South-East Asian region,” he said.

“Journalists need to have professional ethics that serve as guidelines and rules in carrying out their duties with discipline and responsibility to raise the level of professionalism in journalism,” he said.

The Prime Minister also urged for an association, to be called the Malaysian Journalists Association, be created to represent the print, electronic and internet media in the country.

This was to ensure the preservation of ethics and professionalism among journalists and to ensure their welfare.

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