Latest news with #CMCF
Barnama
4 days ago
- Health
- Barnama
Malaysia's Guidelines For Reporting, Sharing Suicide-Related Content Well Received Globally
KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's guidelines for reporting and sharing suicide-related content have received positive feedback both domestically and internationally, including after they were presented at the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) 2025 World Congress in Vienna recently. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Content Forum (CMCF) chief executive officer Mediha Mahmood said the collaborative approach between doctors, psychiatrists and media practitioners in developing the guidelines attracted the attention of the international community. 'The external response has also been very encouraging. They are impressed with how we can collaborate between doctors, psychiatrists and the media because the whole world has issues about getting media cooperation,' she said on Bernama Radio's Jendela Fikir programme today. At the local level, she said, CMCF has received many requests to hold workshops and training within just a week after the guidelines were launched on June 3. 'When we hold workshops or training with interactive dialogue, they can see the case studies we present to understand how we can bring these guidelines to life in daily work. 'CMCF not only conducts training with media practitioners but also with influencers and content creators to build understanding among all,' she said. Regarding implementation and enforcement, Mediha said CMCF emphasises more on educating and guiding the community, but action can be taken if there are repeated violations. 'Anyone who sees content that violates these guidelines can file a complaint, and the complaints bureau will see if it is wrong or not. 'We will usually give advice, but if the case is repeated and gets worse over time, there is a compound of up to RM50,000, but compound action is rarely taken because we want our community to know for themselves what is good and not,' she said.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Malaysia's guidelines for reporting, sharing suicide-related content
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's guidelines for reporting and sharing suicide-related content have received positive feedback both domestically and internationally, including after they were presented at the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) 2025 World Congress in Vienna recently. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Content Forum (CMCF) chief executive officer Mediha Mahmood said the collaborative approach between doctors, psychiatrists and media practitioners in developing the guidelines attracted the attention of the international community. 'The external response has also been very encouraging. They are impressed with how we can collaborate between doctors, psychiatrists and the media because the whole world has issues about getting media cooperation,' she said on Bernama Radio's Jendela Fikir programme today. At the local level, she said, CMCF has received many requests to hold workshops and training within just a week after the guidelines were launched on June 3. 'When we hold workshops or training with interactive dialogue, they can see the case studies we present to understand how we can bring these guidelines to life in daily work. 'CMCF not only conducts training with media practitioners but also with influencers and content creators to build understanding among all,' she said. Regarding implementation and enforcement, Mediha said CMCF emphasises more on educating and guiding the community, but action can be taken if there are repeated violations. 'Anyone who sees content that violates these guidelines can file a complaint, and the complaints bureau will see if it is wrong or not. 'We will usually give advice, but if the case is repeated and gets worse over time, there is a compound of up to RM50,000, but compound action is rarely taken because we want our community to know for themselves what is good and not,' she said. According to Mediha, CMCF also conducts engagement with schools and communities to encourage references to authentic content and build a culture of ethical content dissemination She said CMCF is currently discussing with the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) to introduce a new term that is more suitable to replace the use of the phrase 'bunuh diri' in the Malay language. 'The word in English is 'suicide', but in the Malay language, there is no word that can replace suicide yet,' she said. The guidelines, launched by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, are the first of their kind in the world, developed inclusively with various parties, including the Ministry of Health, media practitioners and individuals with real-life experience, and supported through a public consultation process.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Malaysia's guidelines for reporting, sharing suicide-related content well received globally
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's guidelines for reporting and sharing suicide-related content have received positive feedback both domestically and internationally, including after they were presented at the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) 2025 World Congress in Vienna recently. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Content Forum (CMCF) chief executive officer Mediha Mahmood said the collaborative approach between doctors, psychiatrists and media practitioners in developing the guidelines attracted the attention of the international community. 'The external response has also been very encouraging. They are impressed with how we can collaborate between doctors, psychiatrists and the media because the whole world has issues about getting media cooperation,' she said on Bernama Radio's Jendela Fikir programme today. At the local level, she said, CMCF has received many requests to hold workshops and training within just a week after the guidelines were launched on June 3. 'When we hold workshops or training with interactive dialogue, they can see the case studies we present to understand how we can bring these guidelines to life in daily work. 'CMCF not only conducts training with media practitioners but also with influencers and content creators to build understanding among all,' she said. Regarding implementation and enforcement, Mediha said CMCF emphasises more on educating and guiding the community, but action can be taken if there are repeated violations. 'Anyone who sees content that violates these guidelines can file a complaint, and the complaints bureau will see if it is wrong or not. 'We will usually give advice, but if the case is repeated and gets worse over time, there is a compound of up to RM50,000, but compound action is rarely taken because we want our community to know for themselves what is good and not,' she said. According to Mediha, CMCF also conducts engagement with schools and communities to encourage references to authentic content and build a culture of ethical content dissemination She said CMCF is currently discussing with the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) to introduce a new term that is more suitable to replace the use of the phrase 'bunuh diri' in the Malay language. 'The word in English is 'suicide', but in the Malay language, there is no word that can replace suicide yet,' she said. The guidelines, launched by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, are the first of their kind in the world, developed inclusively with various parties, including the Ministry of Health, media practitioners and individuals with real-life experience, and supported through a public consultation process.
New Straits Times
05-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: Of tech titans and online harm
OF late, many governments are recognising that technology needs to be rooted in ethics; otherwise it won't be a force for good. But tech titans want technology to be left alone. To them, their platforms are content enablers: anyone can write anything they want. Pushed to the limit, this would mean unethical content such as fake news and hate speech. This is not something that might happen; it has been happening for the longest time. Left with no choice, some governments are turning to the law to tame technology. Take the European Union's Digital Services Act and allied legislation. They are based on a very simple concept: social media platforms, being content curators, must take responsibility for everything they publish. Can't blame the EU; self-policing isn't one of the strong points of social media platforms. With the oversight of the platforms being taken over by the EU, many analysts expect the digital world to change for the better. Malaysia, too, wants the digital world to be more ethical than it is now, but it is trying a milder version by inviting social media platforms to join the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum (CMCF), an industry-led effort to ensure that more ethical content appears online. Mild though the CMCF is, Meta, X and Instagram have refused to be part of it, despite several invitations. They are missing a golden opportunity to join others in the technology business to set best practices for the industry. Because the CMCF provides the technology companies a second chance at self-policing, so to speak. Having scored badly before, they should grab the opportunity to do better now. Refusing to be part of the CMCF means the tech titans are not keen on moderating harmful content online. But they must know their algorithms make harm worse. This is why nations around the world are resorting to a regulatory framework to compel them to curate their content. Otherwise, the companies and their officers will suffer punitive costs. As if algorithms aren't bad enough, artificial intelligence-powered scams are making digital platforms a more harmful world. A 2025 Jumio Online Identity Study published recently and reported in this newspaper yesterday is clear: AI fraud is eroding digital trust. Technology titans must also read it as people losing trust in them. Of the 8,000 adults surveyed in the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico and Singapore, only 37 per cent believe most social media accounts are authentic, and just 36 per cent say they still trust the online news they consume. Here is more: some 76 per cent fear the use of AI to create fake identity documents and 75 per cent are concerned about scam emails crafted by AI to steal passwords or money. For technology titans whose social media platforms have become the new media outlets, this is surely bad news. Views may earn them 90 per cent of their revenue from advertisements, but at this level of trust and fear, in no time the bear will be at the door. There is only one of two ways for the technology titans to preserve trust: to self-police their platforms or join others in crafting best practices for the industry.
Sinar Daily
05-06-2025
- Business
- Sinar Daily
Fahmi calls out Meta and X over their inaction on online safety
He highlighted TikTok as the only platform that has demonstrated a genuine commitment by voluntarily joining the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil speaks at a press conference following the Launch of the Ethical Guidelines for Reporting and Sharing Suicide-Related Content at Menara Star today. Photo by Bernama PETALING JAYA – Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has urged social media giants to play a more active role in curbing online harm, calling out Meta and X for failing to adequately address issues such as cyberbullying and suicide prevention. He highlighted TikTok as the only platform that has demonstrated a genuine commitment by voluntarily joining the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF). Speaking at the launch of CMCF's guidelines on reporting and sharing suicide-related content, Fahmi criticised social media platforms that neglect their responsibility to mitigate online harm, including suicide-related issues. "We cannot have these social media platforms washing their hands of content that could also create online harm, particularly related to suicide," he said. He noted that despite outreach efforts by CMCF to involve major players like Meta and X, these companies have not engaged with the forum. In contrast, TikTok proactively joined the CMCF even before the implementation of the government's licensing framework for social media and online messaging services. Fahmi singled out Facebook, urging the platform to recognise that the CMCF is an industry-led initiative, not a government directive, and that participation would benefit them by fostering best practices and codes of conduct. "I wholeheartedly applaud TikTok's approach in voluntarily becoming a member of the Content Forum. For example, Facebook said that they are going to be licensed, but they must understand that the Content Forum is not government-led. "It's industry-led. It's actually in their interest to participate so they can help develop best practices and codes of conduct," he added. The minister also pointed out the alarming financial toll of online scams, which cost Malaysians RM53.88 billion in 2024, equivalent to three per cent of the nation's GDP. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil (second from left) speaks at a press conference after the Launch Ceremony of the Ethical Guidelines for Reporting and Sharing Suicide-Related Content at Menara Star today. Also present was the Chairman of the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia, Rafiq Razali (left). Photo for Bernama Fahmi urged vernacular media outlets to play an active role in suicide prevention efforts by providing mental health resources in multiple languages to ensure broad accessibility. "We need to reach out to the vernacular press. A lot of the content is in English, but our efforts must be understood in all languages," he stated. Journalists were also encouraged to follow the CMCF's guidelines when covering suicide-related stories, focusing on safeguarding the privacy of victims and their families while avoiding detailed reporting that could lead to imitative behaviour. 'Reporting about suicide is most sensitive and most harrowing for any journalist covering the tragedy. We should not divulge the location or the personality in such tragedies,' he added. Fahmi emphasised that the guidelines offer comprehensive advice for the digital ecosystem, including sharing personal experiences responsibly, avoiding trauma-triggering content, and connecting people to support services. More Like This
