PUTRAJAYA: The Communications and Digital Ministry plans to draft a bill related to the return of advertising expenditure for the survival of media organisations in this country, said its Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Speaking at the ministry's monthly assembly here today, Fahmi said the drafting of the bill was important because he did not want to see more media practitioners lose their jobs or undertake a voluntary separation scheme (VSS).
He said the government also intends to hold a meeting with giants such as Google, Meta and TikTok to discuss the matters because the situation is partly contributed by advertising expenditure being taken out of the country by them.
"We see a huge impact on media organisations. Many workers have been laid off and this is something that I believe the government cannot take lightly.
"So I'm planning to work on the drafting of a specific bill on the return of advertising expenditure to media organisations in Malaysia," he said when quoted by Bernama.
On July 25, Fahmi said Malaysia has the democratic right to do what is necessary to ensure the sustainability of the media industry and protecting its work.
He said this included introducing rules or laws for technology companies that use content produced by local media organisations to ensure fair compensation.
He said the government was ready to assist in negotiations for local media companies to get compensation from tech giants, whether directly or indirectly.
Fahmi had also pointed that Australia and Canada introduced laws to protect media content and requiring parties involved to hold negotiations, which Malaysia will closely monitor.
The News Media Bargaining and Digital Platforms Bargaining Code in Australia has seen Google and Facebook agreeing to pay A$220 million in compensation to media groups in the country last year.
The introduction of the Online News Act in Canada led to Facebook's decision to boycott Canadian news."
On a separate issue, Fahmi wanted the Kasih@HAWANA fund to be more proactive so that the ministry's "Ziarah Kasih" programme could be carried out more often.
In addition to helping media practitioners in need, the programme also helped the the ministry understand the reality of telecommunication issues such as the Internet and other problems faced by the people, he said.
The Kasih@HAWANA Fund, an initiative by the Communications and Digital Ministry through the Malaysian National News Organisation (Bernama), is to assist veteran journalists and former media practitioners who are infirmed or facing difficulties in life.
Fahmi also wants the bill for the establishment of the Malaysian Media Council to be finalised no later than March next year so that it can be tabled in Parliament for approval.