Social media is a tool to boost engagement, not accuracy
At the recent National Journalists Day (Hawana) 2025 forum, senior academician Professor Datuk Dr Murad Merican raised a core question that Malaysia must urgently address: What exactly is journalism and who qualifies as a journalist?
This question is at the heart of the discussion on the Malaysian Media Council (MMC), a long-delayed but crucial initiative to address journalism's crisis in an era of digital overload, artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content and influencer-driven narratives.
Let's be clear: social media is a tool, not a newsroom. Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, X and Instagram are designed to boost engagement, not accuracy.
Their algorithms reward speed, emotion and sensationalism. Journalism on the other hand is a profession rooted in verification, accountability, ethics and serving the public interest.
Unfortunately, the public is increasingly confusing popular content creators with professional journalists.
Politicians, corporations and even governments now bypass the media and communicate directly through social platforms.
While this might seem like a form of democratic communication, it undermines the editorial checks that ensure accuracy and ethical standards.
Murad's reminder that not everyone is a journalist isn't elitist, its necessary. Sharing information doesn't make someone a journalist.
Journalism involves reporting, analysing, contextualising and holding power to account.
Comparing a viral post to investigative journalism is like comparing a Google search to expert legal advice; one is quick and convenient, the other requires training and standards, which bring consequences if ignored.
This is where the MMC must step in as a leader in defining, defending and strengthening journalism as a profession.
FIRST, the MMC must set clear professional standards. Just like doctors and lawyers, journalists need ethical codes, formal training, peer reviews and disciplinary frameworks.
SECOND, journalism ethics should be included in legal frameworks. Not to restrict media freedom, but to protect it.
Ethical journalism must be shielded from political interference, commercial manipulation and digital abuse.
Only with strong ethical foundations can public trust in media be restored.
THIRD, MMC should establish a media tribunal. This tribunal wouldn't censor journalists but offer a fair mechanism for public complaints and protect the integrity of journalism.
When people feel misled or harmed by news, they should have access to a fair process without turning to defamation suits or laws that suppress free speech.
Social media creators, bloggers and citizen commentators may offer valuable views but they are not journalists unless they follow the same standards of fact-checking, ethics and accountability.
Even though citizen journalism has a role, we must stop equating virality with credibility.
Things are even more complicated with AI. Today, AI tools can generate articles that mimic journalism, copy a journalist's tone and even create realistic deepfake videos.
Without clear standards, the public could lose the ability to distinguish between real journalism and fake content.
Thus MMC must prepare for the future.
At the forum, experts proposed creating a Social Media Council of Malaysia that would oversee digital content on social platforms, setting ethical guidelines for content creators, influencers and even official accounts.
The goal is to prevent the spread of false information, hate speech and unethical communication.
Another worrying trend is the closure of comment sections by mainstream news outlets.
While concerns about online abuse, legal risks and moderation challenges are real, shutting down public interaction signals a breakdown of trust between the media and its audience.
The MMC must help rebuild that trust by promoting media literacy, encouraging feedback and supporting healthy criticism.
Journalism will always have a "tennis match" relationship with power, sometimes cooperative, but often adversarial. This tension is not a flaw but a feature of a working democracy.
The MMC's job is not to eliminate that tension, but ensure the game is fair. It must stand by journalists when they're attacked and stand with the public when journalists fail their ethical standards.
Malaysia has long needed a strong, independent media council. The MMC must go beyond regulation and lead a cultural change, reclaiming the values of truth, depth and responsibility in public conversation.
Journalism is not just content. It is a public service, civic duty and profession that must be protected, not reduced to hashtags and hype.
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