KUCHING: Media practitioners can adapt to digital innovation to facilitate their tasks without having to sacrifice the integrity and principles of journalism.
Minister of Communication Fahmi Fadzil said media practitioners are now in a new era of journalism, driven by rapid technological advancements and changing times.
“The evolution of the world of journalism is increasingly facing its own challenges while meeting the needs of a society demand for information that can now be accessed at their fingertips.
“Starting with newspapers as the primary medium, media practitioners now have to compete to the point where society sometimes gets confused with real information or fake news due to the flood of information that is now more easily obtained,” he said.
He said this during the launching ceremony of the National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA) 2024 exhibition at the main atrium of Plaza Merdeka Shopping Centre here, on Saturday.
He also said that in this digital age, journalists not only need to be skilled in crafting or writing news, but they also need other skills such as taking photos and videos and editing them.
“This is all to meet the needs of readers who now come from various walks of life.
“Moreover, media practitioners now have to compete with ordinary people through social media in terms of speed, while at the same time not neglecting integrity and ensuring the information conveyed is authentic and accurate,” said Fahmi.
However, Fahmi said innovation and new changes are essential to ensure that the world of journalism continues to compete and remain relevant.
“The ability to tell stories through multimedia and data journalism, for instance, has emerged as an essential skill in the era of modern journalism.
“The post Covid-19 era, on the other hand, has changed the way we work, thereby offering a different approach from traditional reporting methods.
“Therefore, it is now up to the media practitioners themselves whether to adapt to these changes, especially to ensure that the challenges faced can be overcome more easily without having to sacrifice the integrity and principles of journalism itself,” he said.
The three-day exhibition involves a total of 20 exhibition booths which will be open from 10am to 5pm.
Among the items to be showcased are old media equipment that were popular in their time, such as old cameras, radios, recording devices, video cameras, as well as the history of media establishment in Sarawak.
Seventeen agencies are involved in the three-day exhibition, showcasing their services and offering visitors the chance to obtain various information and participate in activities namely the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (UKAS), TVS, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) Sarawak, National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) Sarawak, Department of Information (JaPen) Sarawak, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM), Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), and Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA).
