Published: Thursday November 5, 2009 MYT 6:46:00 PM
Updated: Thursday November 5, 2009 MYT 6:51:12 PM

Home Ministry to meet with industry on press control laws

By DHARMENDER SINGH

PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry is planning a brainstorming session over several days with print media practioners to re-look the provisions under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 so that it can be made to “adapt to current trends.”

The ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam said he felt that that it was time to look again at the provisions in the Act after more than 20 years because the print media and its role had gone through a huge change in that time.

“We want to hear from the media practioners themselves on what they think of the existing controls under the Act and what other methods of control can be used to ensure that the newspapers exercise responsible reporting,” he told representatives from various print media organisations a special discussion here on Thursday.

He said the ministry also wanted to explore the possibility to shifting more of the responsibility in ensuring proper reporting to the newspapers themselves, as had been done with film producers recently.

Earlier, Mahmood called on newspapers to provide a chance for government agencies concerned to respond when they wrote stories that put the agencies concerned in a bad light.

“We are not telling the newspapers not to print anything negative because what they print is their prerogative, but we would like to ask that they give the government agencies concerned a chance to provide their side of the story,” he said.

In light of reports in some papers recently that allegedly failed to get accurate facts, he also called on the media to verify facts before publishing reports because even if the newspaper concerned clarified the matter afterwards, the damage was often already done.

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