Calls from PMO, headline tweaking as govt trumpets media freedom index

While top officials in Anwar Ibrahim's coalition government have repeatedly cited a recent media freedom index showing Malaysia's improvement during the previous administration, questions have been raised about the situation on the ground with complaints from a number of newsrooms about political interference in their reports.

A source from a local media organisation said his newsroom had been contacted by a representative from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) over a report on Anwar.

"They asked for the report to be reangled because of the headline," he told MalaysiaNow on condition of anonymity.  

"The newsroom complied because they wanted government advertisements." 

Reporters Without Borders ranked Malaysia at 73rd place in its annual press freedom index, up from 133rd.

The leap was based on the media situation last year, when Putrajaya was under the short tenure of Ismail Sabri Yaakob until November.

After the coalition government led by Anwar and his Pakatan Harapan coalition took over, questions were raised about Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil and his approach to the media situation in the country. 

Several months ago, the Lembah Pantai MP clashed with Malay daily Berita Harian over a report predicting a rise in overnight policy rate, a situation that came to pass last week. 

Fahmi, describing the report as slander, had met with the management and editors in order to present his views. 

Meanwhile, television channel TV3 cancelled the opposition's slot for a post-Ramadan "takbir raya" at the last minute, citing technical issues. 

It also previously deleted a report on social media quoting Economic Minister Rafizi Ramli as saying that people should avoid buying chicken if prices go up too much. 

Another source from a local newspaper said the organisation was accused of supporting Perikatan Nasional by political appointees in the government. 

"They didn't like our reports and some of our headlines," he said, asking for anonymity as well. 

The most recent development saw the PMO's strategic communications director Wan Nurzila Wan Abd Rahman resigning with 24 hours' notice. 

The Star had quoted a source in the PMO as saying that Nurzila's resignation was linked to friction with J-KOM over the campaign to promote "Malaysia Madani", the phrase used by Anwar for his coalition government.

An information officer at the government propaganda unit said the situation was still confusing, citing unclear instructions from the Prime Minister's Department about how to proceed, especially on social media platforms. 

Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said a number of his colleagues had been on good terms with J-KOM head Mohammad Agus Yusoff before joining the department. 

"They always asked for his views and so on. But after working under him, many are disappointed and even avoid introducing themselves when they meet at events," he said.

On the elections to come in six states, he said there were no clear instructions for the officers on how to carry out their tasks.

He said orders were "mixed up", with no indication of which should be prioritised. 

He added that some of his colleagues were regretting their career move, saying it would be better for them to return to writing news. 

"They feel like they have no purpose," he said. "They say they should go back to writing – the worst that can happen is that they get scolded by politicians who don't like their reports. 

"But now, the politicians are their bosses. There's a big difference."