Media Practitioners Must Be Sensitive, Ethical, Not Overzealous When Reporting - Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 (Bernama) -- Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has reminded media practitioners in the country to deliver news reporting by taking into account social and community aspects including safeguarding sensitivity, boundaries and manners. 

Fahmi said the Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s (JAIS) decision to reprimand the media during the Friday sermon (yesterday) about the exaggerated coverage of the recent divorce issue of famous personalities, Nur Fazurah and Fattah Amin, should be noted.

"This advice applies anytime, not just in issues like this. It is not a problem for the media to report but at the same time the media needs to educate and cultivate an attitude among the people.

"That is why we hope that in general the media plays a role in delivering reports by taking into account societal aspects, for example journalistic ethics in reporting on children in a criminal case, we cannot be so arbitrary to the extend of revealing their identity,” he told reporters during the Lembah Pantai level National Sports Day celebrations at the IWK Eco Park, here tonight.

Fahmi said on the day that the couple's divorce was reported, he found that five out of seven to eight newspapers he ordered every day featured the sensational news on the first page. 

In this regard, he advised media practitioners to report more ethically for a better Malaysia because the public's response to an issue also depends on media reporting. 

JAIS in a Friday sermon titled 'Strengthen Marriage Bonds, Avoid Divorce' yesterday, admonished the media to respect the privacy of the celebrity couple following the widespread publication of news about their divorce. 

According to the sermon, divorce is not something to be touted because it is a very personal, bitter and painful experience.

Therefore, the media should play a role in building a positive and healthy society, not making the situation worse. 

--BERNAMA