Journalists have the right to protect their sources, says Fahmi
Journalists in Malaysia have the right to protect their sources under the nation's journalistic code of ethics, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Addressing the police summoning of three Malaysiakini journalists a day earlier over a report on police leadership changes, Fahmi on Saturday (Aug 10) clarified that this does not infringe on journalists' rights, as the police are required to act on reports.
Regarding concerns about Malaysia's standing in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) rankings, Fahmi noted that the ranking is relative to other countries' performance in the RSF assessment.
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Addressing the police summoning of three Malaysiakini journalists a day earlier over a report on police leadership changes, Fahmi on Saturday (Aug 10) clarified that this does not infringe on journalists' rights, as the police are required to act on reports.
Regarding concerns about Malaysia's standing in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) rankings, Fahmi noted that the ranking is relative to other countries' performance in the RSF assessment.
Read more at https://shorturl.at/3t4Nc
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NewsTranscript
00:00If we refer to the ethical code of journalism that has been established, we do affirm that journalists have the right to confidential sources.
00:12It is not a problem.
00:14At the same time, as I have mentioned before, I appeal to the police to cooperate.
00:21Because in terms of regulation, if there is a police report, the police need to conduct an investigation.
00:28So some argue that the questioning is not necessary in the first place.
00:32They have the right to question.
00:35Even though the police have the right to question, but won't this make our press freedom of speech look bad?
00:42Even though the ranking has fallen?
00:45No. Reporters Without Borders have informed me that honestly,
00:52there are some reporters who disagree with the ranking.
00:57Because if we are on the same level in terms of metrics,
01:01but if there are other countries that have shown progress,
01:05we have fallen in the ranking.
01:08So the ranking does not truly reflect what is actually happening in the country,
01:13rather it is a reflection of everything that is happening in the world.
01:17So if you stay in one place but certain other countries move up,
01:21then it looks like you have gone down.
01:23So we need to know and understand that this ranking is not purely based on the performance of the country.
01:31But it is a relative performance compared to other countries in the RSF.
01:38Second, I insist that reporters have the right to report.
01:44But based on the law, the police also have the right to investigate.
01:50It is not a contradiction.
01:53If we report, and you stand by your report, and you stand by your source,
01:59then when asked, you answer.
02:03There will be no issue.