Bernama’s MADANI Village Adoption Initiative To Boost Community Access To Accurate News

BANTING, Oct 12 (Bernama) -- The selection of Kampung Batu Laut as the Malaysian National News Agency's (Bernama) Kampung Angkat MADANI (MADANI village adoption initiative), is poised to enhance the government's efforts in promoting access to accurate news and information.

Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister and Member of Parliament for Sepang Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu said that the programme aims to provide the community in the village, which is located in her parliamentary constituency, with greater exposure to the functions and roles of Bernama products, particularly the MyCheck Malaysia platform.

“As we navigate a complex information landscape, what may seem simple can become convoluted, due to the prevalence of inaccurate information in society.

“Through the Bernama Village Adoption initiative, the community can leverage the strengths of various Bernama products and MyCheck Malaysia, to ensure that information is both accurate and widely disseminated,” she said.

She said this in her speech during the launch of the Santuni MADANI – One Leader One Village programme, at the Dewan Kebudayaan Kampung Batu, Tanjung Sepat, today.

Also present were Communications Ministry's Deputy Secretary-General (Strategic Communications and Creative Industry) Nik Kamaruzaman Nik Husin; Bernama Chief Executive Officer Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin; and Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj.

Bernama Deputy Editor-in-Chief of News Services Nasriah Darus; Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Economic News Services Azlina Aziz; and Management Services and Finance head Sharifah Zaini Syed Zain were also in attendance.

On the importance of accessing authentic news, Aiman Athirah noted that MyCheck Malaysia, established by Bernama in March 2020, is dedicated to combating misinformation within the Malaysian context, particularly regarding issues which impact daily life. She emphasised that MyCheck Malaysia should be utilised as a primary source of information.

Despite a rise in visitors to the MyCheck Malaysia website - 29,198 in September, compared with 12,680 in August - she remarked that this figure is still modest in light of the vast amount of false information circulating on social media.

“There is an increase in public awareness regarding fact-checking, as reflected in these numbers. Moving forward, I hope that everyone will utilise MyCheck Malaysia to verify facts. Our colleagues at Bernama have created this invaluable platform, and it would be a missed opportunity not to take advantage of it.

“Upon receiving news, don't merely forward it to others for verification. First, check its authenticity at https://www.mycheck.my before sharing,” she advised.

Aiman Athirah also expressed gratitude to Bernama and the Communications Ministry for selecting Kampung Batu Laut as the news agency’s adopted village.

“Through this initiative, a range of programmes, particularly in the field of education, is set to be implemented to develop the smallest community unit, which is at the village level.

“This aligns with the aspirations of Malaysia MADANI, which encompasses six main thrusts, one of which is to foster a compassionate society which prioritises not only individual interests but also the welfare of the community and the nation as a whole,” she added.

-- BERNAMA