Malaysia
Media Environment | News Gathering | Practical Tips
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Media Environment
Malaysia’s newspapers and magazines are largely controlled by the ruling parties and by business groups close to the Government. The former own the mass circulation newspapers, while the latter own the Indian and Chinese language newspapers. Malaysia has four English dailies: The Star, owned by the Chinese government party, the New Straits Times, a pro-government national daily, the Business Times and the Kuala Lumpur-based tabloid The Malay Mail.
The Ministry of Information owns the only news agency, Bernama, and often releases official announcements through it. Journalists from Bernama cover most functions attended by government officials and ministers. The agency normally does not give coverage to opposition parties or non-governmental organisations critical of the government.
Opposition parties are permitted to print party newspapers for internal circulation, and they are available to the public on subscription. There is also a magazine controlled by a vocal social justice movement, Aliran.
The most important local media in Malaysia is the English-language online news service Malaysiakini (www.malaysiakini.com), to which anyone planning to cover the country is advised to subscribe. Being Internet-based, it is able to circumvent some censorship — though the Government has raided it from time to time. It is without doubt the best source of information on Malaysia, with daily news, in-depth reporting, excellent background features and an easily accessed archive.
Foreigners do not own local media, but international magazines and newspapers, such as the Asian Wall Street Journal, are printed and circulated in the country.
There are state-run as well as private radio and television channels. Private terrestrial broadcaster TV3 was joined in 2005 by pay-TV services Fine TV and MiTV There are now two additional commercial networks, ntv7 and 8TV. The state broadcaster Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) runs two television networks, TV1 and TV2, along with some 30 radio stations and the overseas service, Voice of Malaysia. There are a number of private Malay, Tamil, Chinese and English language radio stations.
The Ministry of Information exercises tight control over broadcast programs, even those of privately run radio and television stations, and both news and entertainment programmes regularly attract the attention of the censors intent on safeguarding Muslim sensibilities. Segments featuring offensive language or kissing are frequently deleted from films and television programmes.
In general, the local media are circumspect in their reporting, thanks largely to some of the world’s most restrictive media laws. Under the Publications and Printing Presses Act newspapers and magazines must renew printing licences annually. Journalists face a one-year mandatory jail sentence for breaching the Official Secrets Act and can be jailed without trial if their writing is found to be prejudicial to the country’s security under the Internal Security Act.
In recent years, journalists have confronted a new threat to press freedom, this time from the corporate sector. In 1995 the Kuala Lumpur High Court awarded influential businessman Vincent Tan 20 million ringgit in his defamation suit against several journalists for articles on his business manoeuvres in Malaysian Industry, a now defunct magazine. Thereafter, the demand from other businessmen for awards has been raised to 200 million ringgit. This worrying development in libel cases is curtailing the already restricted freedom of expression.
News Gathering
Malaysia appears to be rather relaxed towards visiting journalists. Journalist visas are not (yet) required. Those wishing to cover official functions, such as prime ministerial press conferences, must first obtain accreditation from the Press Liaison Section of the Ministry of Information. Press accreditation cards are processed jointly by the Ministry of Information and the Foreign Ministry and this can be done within 24 hours if the required documents are supplied. Visiting journalists are not normally required to produce official press accreditation cards at non-governmental functions.
Malaysian Cabinet ministers are usually approachable and normally speak to the press after opening a function. Independent interviews can be arranged through press secretaries.
Reuters, AP, AFP, Bloomberg, the Asian Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Business Times, Straits Times (Singapore) and Nikkei have several correspondents in their Malaysian bureaus.
Malaysia is strict in granting work permits to resident journalists. Foreign journalists may have to wait months before being granted work permits, but while waiting they are able to move around with their press accreditation from the Ministry of Information. There is no foreign press club in Malaysia. The Information Ministry recently set up a new bureau called the Foreign Correspondents’ Unit, headed by Tarmidzi Hashim, tel: 60-3-2288 7502, with the intention of being of use to foreign journalists, but details on its work is as yet unavailable.
Travel to the east coast of Sabah and its offshore islands is not recommended, due to terrorist threats. Kidnappings of foreigners in the region have been reported in recent years.
Practical Tips
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Mobile phones are common and can be easily hired in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Local SIM cards can be bought at convenience stores and charged with readily available charge cards. A good way to get in touch with ministers and other important people is to send text messages to their mobile phones.
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There is a post office at the international airport — between the left luggage and the Muslim prayer room — but, strangely, it follows office hours (08.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Saturday). It is closed on the first Saturday of every month.
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Kuala Lumpur is a city with several centres and no single hub. The area around the Sentral Train Station is mostly highways. To the northeast, around Jalan Sultan Ismail and the KLCC Twin Towers, is another centre, where most visitors stay. KCLL, also known as the Petronas Towers after the oil company that owns it, is an important transport hub with a massive shopping mall. This is a useful meeting place with many coffee shops and restaurants — but when making appointments, be precise about the exact floor to meet on as there are often several outlets with the same name in the mall.
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There is an oversupply of all types of hotel in Kuala Lumpur and room rates have been forced down by the surplus. Good three-star and four-star hotels are charging about US$35-45 per night, inclusive of breakfast. The five-star Equatorial Hotel on Jalan Sultan Ismail offers standard rooms for about US$60, especially if you mention that you are a journalist. (The AFP office is in the basement). Corporate rates at the more lavish Shangri-La further down the street (and directly opposite the New Zealand High Commission) are similar.
Contributor: Vaudine England | Updated by Vaughan Yarwood
Latest update September 2008
