Fines imposed on the publishers of Sin Chew Daily and Sinar Harian were acts of “media bullying” that risks fostering self-censorship, PAS said today.
The party’s secretary-general, Takiyuddin Hassan, said the heavy fines of RM100,000 each appeared to be aimed at pressuring media outlets to align with political or government expectations.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had levied the fine on Sin Chew Media Corporation Bhd over an incomplete illustration of the Jalur Gemilang in Sin Chew’s digital newspaper, while Sinar Karangkraf Sdn Bhd was penalised for a post on Sinar Harian’s Instagram account that incorrectly linked Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail to a political party.
Takiyuddin said the two newspapers had already corrected their mistakes and…