Controversial content and questions, something that every journalist dreads when reporting on a piece. It involves Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act which is definitely a violation of Malaysian journalistic ethics. It is a basic matter but clearly very difficult to implement.
January 12, 2026, a former FMT journalist, Rex Tan, raised a controversial question in a Forum titled "Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors", involving British politician, George Galloway. And it is clearly mixed with racist elements, believed to be a question raised for personal gain, not 'directed' by the FMT editors.
This personal interest involves 'probability': whether the Journalist concerned wants to achieve the desired KPI, considering that the "Journalism Awards" will be held on 30 January 2026. Certainly makes journalists want to deliver excellent news. However, the guidelines need to be followed or perhaps need to be reviewed, considering that the Malaysian Media Council was just established last year.
" The media needs to report 'middle-minded reporting', which I believe is very difficult to do, given that it concerns 'who needs to be reached' (the audience)."
Members of the Malaysian Media Council need to act immediately, in drafting a code of ethics for journalists, not just a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Communications of Malaysia, or issuing a statement condemning the Royal Malaysian Police involving the arrest of Rex Tan. ( Which I believe is the police's job to interrogate ) And hopefully that this reformed code of ethics should be distributed not only to the media industry, but also to authorities at the federal level and 'external entities'.
“For this model of self-regulation to function effectively, the MMM must work closely with the government to transition existing enforcement practices—currently exercised through the police, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) — towards a more calibrated process that recognises the council’s role. This will require sustained engagement and mutual understanding between the MMC and relevant authorities,” - Malaysian Media Council deputy chairman Premesh Chandran.
Click to Read: Rex Tan’s arrest: Let Media Council handle complaints against journos, says deputy chair
The question is: does the Malaysian Media Council need to become a 'Government-Media-Watchdog' considering Fahmi Fadzil's request to be 'more to the right'?
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