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The Malaysian Media Council (MMC) will roll out a new public awareness campaign aimed at tackling the spread of fake news during the election period, encouraging Malaysians to slow down and verify information before sharing it online.
Branded around the phrase “Siapa kata? Source mana?”, (“Who said it? What is the source?”), is designed to prompt the public to question whether a claim originates from a verified outlet or official channel, or whether it is simply a screenshot, forwarded message, or unattributed post circulating without context.
The public is being urged to adopt two straightforward questions whenever encountering election-related content: who is making the claim, and where the information actually comes from — whether an official website, a verified account, or an untraceable repost.
Speaking on the initiative, MMC Chairman Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan stressed that the campaign is not about limiting speech, but about strengthening public judgement in an increasingly crowded information environment.
“This is not an instruction to stay silent. It is an invitation to think. During an election, citizens have every right to read, share, argue, and participate.
“But healthy participation depends on information that can be trusted,” she said in a roundtable discussion between the media fraternities and Communication Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
The discussion was held in Butterworth, Penang, in conjunction with the 2026 National Journalist Day (Hawana).
Nallini said fake news regarding the elections has already begun circulating, despite nomination days for the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections being scheduled for June 27 and July 18 respectively.
Johor voters will head to the polls on July 11 while the Negeri Sembilan election day has been set on August 1.
At the same time, MMC also called on newsrooms to strengthen their internal verification systems during the election period, particularly as misinformation and impersonation of media brands continue to circulate widely on social platforms.
Media organisations are being asked to appoint dedicated verification officers who can be reached quickly when false content involving their outlets emerges.
“We need you to issue immediate clarifications when your own identity is misused. And we need your support in helping the public tell legitimate reporting apart from fabricated content.
“This is, in the end, a shared interest. When one masthead is forged, it is not one organisation that suffers — the whole ecosystem is weakened. And when trust in the media weakens, democracy itself becomes more fragile,” she explained.
The former federal judge stressed that MMC sees its role as an independent coordinator rather than a controller of public discourse, focused instead on defending journalistic integrity and helping audiences distinguish credible reporting from fabricated content.
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