KUALA LUMPUR (July 15): The Malaysian Media Council (MMC), an independent self-regulatory body to uphold journalistic standards and media accountability, has been formally established with its inaugural annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for Nov 7, 2025.
The founding board of the MMC were formally appointed earlier on Tuesday, having received their letters of appointment from the Ministry of Communications, according to a statement by the council.
The council said it is tasked with promoting ethical and responsible journalism, maintaining a code of conduct for the media, mediating public complaints, and facilitating communication between the media, government, and the public.
It will also play a role in supporting legal and policy reforms that advance press freedom, facilitating training and professional development for journalists, and maintaining a centralised information database on the media landscape. These functions are aimed at strengthening the independence, accountability and sustainability of the media sector in Malaysia.
The establishment of the MMC, first proposed in the 1970s, was enabled by the passage of the Malaysian Media Council Act 2025 in February, with unanimous bipartisan support in Parliament.
The Act mandates that at least 25% of board members must be from Sabah and Sarawak and that gender parity must be achieved in its leadership — both firsts for such a body in Malaysia.
The council’s structure is also designed to reflect diverse representation, with elected representation from media publishers, media professionals, and public interest groups such as civil society and academia.
The appointed members of its founding board are:
i) Media owners:
Phyllis Wong (Utusan Borneo)
James Sarda (Sabah Publishing House)
Premesh Chandran (Malaysiakini)
Ashwad Ismail (Astro Awani)
ii) Media professionals:
Teh Athira Yusof (National Union of Journalists)
Radzi Razak (Gerakan Media Merdeka)
Ronnie Teo (Kuching Division Journalists Association)
Muthameez Manan (Tamil Media Association)
iii) Public interest representatives:
Gayathry Venkiteswaran (University of Nottingham Malaysia)
Celine Lim (SAVE Rivers)
Terence Ooi (Wiki Impact)
Azmyl Yunor (Sunway University)
Membership to the council will be opened in August and run through to the end of September, with applications to be submitted via its official website (www.majlismedia.my). A nominal RM10 fee will be charged. Membership is open to media owners, professionals, as well as individuals and organisations involved in the media ecosystem, representing public interests.
At its first meeting, the founding board appointed Malaysiakini co-founder Premesh Chandran as its interim chairperson, pending the election of a full board at the AGM. The AGM will also deliberate on the council’s budget, by-laws, a formal membership fee structure, and a complaints mechanism.
“We recognise that the formation of the council is not a silver bullet,” said Premesh. “Building a credible, effective council that protects media independence and supports the viability of the industry requires a large, active, and committed membership. We invite all stakeholders to take ownership of this institution.”
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