PENANG, 19 June – Media literacy should be made accessible to all Malaysians and not be limited to journalists, media practitioners or communication students, according to Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) Deputy President Farrah Naz Abd Karim.
Speaking during the Town Hall 2035: Will Journalists Still Exist? at Han Chiang University College of Communication (HCUC), Farrah said the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), social media and digital platforms has transformed everyone into both consumers and creators of information.
“As information spreads faster than ever before, media literacy is no longer a media issue. It is a societal issue,” she said.
Farrah proposed the organisation of a large-scale national media literacy forum that brings together not only journalists and communication academics, but also educators, students, policymakers, government agencies, industry players and the wider public.
She said such an initiative would help Malaysians better understand how information is produced, how misinformation spreads and why critical thinking is increasingly important in the digital age.
According to her, strengthening media literacy across society is one of the most effective ways to build public resilience against misinformation, manipulation and the growing challenges posed by AI-generated content.
The proposal drew strong interest from participants, many of whom agreed that media literacy should be elevated as a national agenda involving all sectors of society.
The forum featured MPI President Datuk Yong Soo Heong, Farrah Naz (Deputy Group Managing Editor, News & Current Affairs Media Prima Berhad and Group Editor New Straits Times) and MPI Council Member Azhari Muhidin, who shared their perspectives on the future of journalism and the impact of technology on the media industry.
Also present were MPI Chief Executive Officer Dr Ainol Amriz Ismail, Han Chiang University College of Communication Vice Chancellor, Madam Jenny Khoo, members of the academic staff and students from various communication and media-related programmes.
MPI is expected to explore the proposal further and engage relevant stakeholders on the possibility of organising a broader national platform dedicated to media literacy and responsible information consumption.
