Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian Media Council (MMC) has initiated Semak Berita (SB), a public initiative aimed at verifying dubious, fabricated, or misused election-related content, with the pilot mechanism set to begin tomorrow in conjunction with the Johor state election.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Semak Berita will be in operation throughout the election period to facilitate rapid verification, coordinate among relevant stakeholders, and disseminate verified information to the public. During election periods, false information can take the form of convincing news graphics, fabricated screenshots, misappropriated media logos, invented statements, illegitimate election results, or content manipulated using artificial intelligence technologies. The misuse of legitimate media organisation names and logos to spread falsehoods undermines public trust in the entire media ecosystem.
Updates, clarifications, and public records related to Semak Berita will be published at sb.majlismedia.my, the MMC announced. Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan, the MMC chairperson, stated that Semak Berita was established to determine whether a piece of content was genuinely published by the media organisation it claims to represent. The initiative aims to verify factual content but does not involve itself in adjudicating political manifestos, campaign claims, or debates between political parties.
Nallini emphasized that the campaign encourages responsible public participation by relying on trustworthy information. She remarked that during elections, citizens have the right to read, share, debate, and participate, but healthy participation requires trustworthy information. She advised the public to verify the source of information before believing or sharing it.
The MMC will act as the principal coordinating body for the initiative, with participating media organisations requested to appoint a primary verification officer and an alternate contact to enable prompt verification throughout the election period. The MMC will assist in coordinating verification when content is disputed, such as fake graphics bearing media logos, manipulated news screenshots, false claims regarding polling centres, or illegitimate election results.
The council clarified that Semak Berita does not confer any new powers on the MMC and does not replace the roles of newsrooms, enforcement agencies, regulators, or the Election Commission. Instead, it serves as a temporary coordination mechanism during the Johor state election and will be evaluated after the completion of its pilot phase.