Journalists have the right to protect their sources

KUALA LUMPUR: Journalists in Malaysia have the right to protect the confidentiality of their sources, in accordance with the country’s journalistic code of conduct, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has said.

However, he clarified that the police’s actions in summoning and recording statements from journalists do not violate this right, as the police are obliged to take action on a police report regarding a news article.

“I want to emphasize that journalists have the right to report, but according to the law, the police also have the right to investigate. There is no contradiction.

“If you stand by your report and sources, just respond if you are questioned. There is no problem,” he told reporters after leading the launch and flag-off ceremony of the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya-level 2024 Jalur Gemilang convoy here today.

Fahmi was commenting on the police’s call yesterday for three Malaysiakini journalists to record statements in connection with a report on changes within the top leadership of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM).

On Tuesday, a local news portal reported that Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay and Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain were likely to be transferred to other agencies.

When asked if this incident could have implications for Malaysia’s position in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) rankings, Fahmi said the ranking is not only based on a country’s performance but is also related to the performance of other countries in the RSF assessment.

“RSF has informed me that some of their members disagree with the rankings, because even if we use the same statistics, we can still drop in the rankings if other countries show improvement.

“So the rankings don’t necessarily reflect the real situation in the country; it’s more a reflection of everything that’s happening in this world. So if you stay in one place, but certain other countries have gone up, then it looks like you’re going down,” he said.

In another case, Fahmi raised concerns that social media platforms are not taking sufficient measures to prevent children under the age of 13 from registering and owning social media accounts.

According to him, social media platforms currently only set guidelines that prohibit this age group from creating an account themselves.

“Stricter measures may be needed to prevent children under 13 from registering. Sometimes children go to great lengths to create social media accounts,” he said.

He also advised parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities to prevent their children from having social media accounts of their own and thus avoid potential risks, especially those related to child sexual exploitation.