KUALA LUMPUR: Three Malaysiakini journalists spent more than an hour giving their statements to the police today in regards to an article about an alleged leadership reshuffle in the force.
They left the Dang Wangi police headquarters at 3.45pm after giving their statements. They had arrived at the location at 2.35pm.
A lawyer representing the three journalists, Rajsurian Pillai, said that around 27 questions were asked about the matter, including the source of the article.
He said the police were professional in their investigation.
However, Rajsurian said his clients abided by the journalistic ethics of not revealing their sources.
"I think everyone can understand this and everyone can respect it, including the police", he told reporters outside the Dang Wangi district police headquarters.
Although the journalists have given their statements, they may be called again to assist in the investigation, Rajsurian said.
One of the journalists, Hariz Mohd, said that while he understood that the police was only doing their job during the questioning, he hoped media ethics would not be infringed upon.
"I respect the fact that it was their job to ask (about the source) but I hope that the media's right to protect our source is respected", he said.
Hariz also thanked his fellow members of the media and media organisations for their support.
Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) spokesperson Radzi Razak, who joined the media outside the police headquarters today, said the journalistic code of ethics, including the one published by the Information Department, is clear that sources must be respected and protected.
"(Protecting their source while questioned) shows that Malaysiakini is firm in their decision.
"We will continue to provide help and spread awareness on why this is important. The work of the media is mostly unknown to the public - why we must protect our sources, and such.
"Therefore, there must be a better approach at informing the public and the government," he said.
On Tuesday (Aug 6), Malaysiakini published a report stating that allegedly Bukit Aman was reshuffling its leadership, an allegation which Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Hassan described as "fake news"
On Thursday (Aug 8), three journalists were summoned to the Dang Wangi police headquarters to have their statements recorded.
Since then, media organisations such as Geramm and the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJM) have strongly opposed any action which could jeopardise a journalist's ability to protect the identity of their sources.