By Nancy Nais
IPOH, May 27: Some 13 media representatives from Sarawak are currently in Ipoh, Perak, for the National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) 2023 celebration from May 27-28.
The two-day celebration themed ‘Media Bebas, Tunjang Demokrasi’ (Free Media, Pillar of Democracy) was held to recognise the role and contributions of media practitioners in Malaysia.
The Sarawak delegation is led and organised by the Federation of Sarawak Journalists Associations (FSJA), assisted by the Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA).
Among topics to be highlighted this year include journalism ethics and efforts to raise public awareness about the spread of fake news on social media.
On behalf of media practitioners in Sarawak, KDJA president Ronnie Teo said this is one of the avenues to see how all the media can get together to address the issue of journalistic ethics.
“There are many out there acting as self-proclaimed journalists who are not officially employed as (licensed) media, and they are not bound by the professional code of conduct.
“This gives rise to false news of inaccurate reporting, in addition to disrupting the work of actual media during official functions.
“We hope that this matter can be addressed with a solution in mind moving forward,” Teo said.
The other participants are Radio Television Malaysia, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Information Department, CyberSecurity Malaysia, and Tourism Perak.
Meanwhile, a special dinner reception with the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, will be held at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar tonight.
The Hawana 2023 Summit will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tomorrow (May 28). — DayakDaily
