THOUSANDS of miles away some three decades ago following the recommendation of Unesco's General Conference, World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993.
A few months later, on May 3rd, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek was immortalised as the baseline for media freedoms and World Press Freedom Day was celebrated for the first time.
In the "post-truth" era of crisis, the role of the media cannot be understated as a catalyst for positive change and as the metaphorical sea wall against the storm surge of misinformation.
The fuel which burns in the engines of unreliable narratives is various hyper-effective technologies, destructive strategies and a motivation for profit over the planet. At no time in history have journalists been faced with this level of misinformation.
According to the United Nations' website, this year's theme is "A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis" with a specific focus on "information on contemporary issues, such as supply-chain problems, climate migration, extractive industries, illegal mining, pollution, poaching, animal trafficking, deforestation and climate change.
Ensuring the visibility of these issues is crucial for promoting peace and democratic values worldwide.
This roll call of issues is not foreign to Malaysia and the broader Asean region.
Deeper considerations need to be made by the corporate sector in response to this including ethical communication, the power of algorithms and the paradox of digital journalism, especially as many look to pay their way through a crisis.
For the media industry, critical questions about self-censorship and self-regulation in light of international best practices – which are often Western-dominated and often lack a nuanced understanding of Eastern cultures – require equal attention.
Malaysia often looks to international rankings to chart its performance. The survey conducted by the Crisis Management Centre during a nationwide engagement programme with The National Press Club of Malaysia involving some 488 journalists, media industry practitioners and members of the academia revealed some interesting data about the outlook of the media industry in the next 12 months.
The research conducted throughout January and February this year showed that approximately three-quarters of the 215 respondents believed that the media industry would grow in the next 12 months. This bodes well for the economic future of the industry, but what does it mean for media freedom and a resilient future for the ecosystem?
Media must become the strategic centre and that centre needs to be calm and poised with confidence to report without fear or favour. This will allow the general population the ability to act accordingly. The media has the ability to shift the needle in the right direction and be a force for designing a positive future if properly empowered with knowledge.
Moving forward, if the media is in crisis, then the ability for critical, clear and concise work will be severely diminished.
Lastly, in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day today, a strong and independent media needs to be understood in the context of a broader national reputation quota and not just as a group of people that need to be invited to the next event or policy announcement.
Nordin Abdullah
Founder,
Crisis Management Centre,
Kuala Lumpur