KUALA LUMPUR: The relaunched Malaysian Code of Ethics for Journalists will not curtail media freedom, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today.
He rubbished claims that the code was an attempt by the government to control and censor the media and freedom of speech.
He said the claims were unfair to the Information Department (JaPen) and Malaysia Press Institute (MPI) as the code had existed since 1989.
"If you were to compare the relaunched document and the 1989 document, they are almost the same.
"The preamble is the same, there are still eight key points.
"It has nothing to do with curbing media freedom. Some of the comments made have been unfair to JaPen and MPI.
"At the launch, the MPI chief executive officer said this document was the original one from 1989, so we cannot discount or we cannot nullify this fact."
He said this after launching the Maxis 5G-Adcanced Trial Showcas here.
Fahmi said it was necessary to update the code, especially with the introduction of blogs and online media, which didn't exist when the code was introduced.
Yesterday, Lawyers for Liberty director Zaid Malek said the ne code of ethics was a backdoor way of reviving the Anti-Fake News law, couched in terms of "journalistic ethics", where the credibility of any news and its sources would be determined by the government.
The code was relaunched earlier this week with Fahmi describing it as a guideline for media agencies to carry out their duties.
He said this would promote professionalism and integrity of the media as a source of news and information trusted by the people.
