Johor: The upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections will provide the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) with an opportunity to test and refine a new mechanism aimed at combating fabricated media content and safeguarding public trust in information during election campaigns. MMC chairperson Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan said the close succession of the two polls - Johor on July 11 and Negeri Sembilan on August 1, offers a practical setting to evaluate and refine the council's newly launched Rapid Response Election Initiative.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the pilot programme focuses on verifying content falsely attributed to media organisations, including fabricated news graphics, manipulated screenshots, and reports carrying forged media logos. Under the framework, the MMC will act solely as coordinator, while media organisations themselves will verify whether disputed content originated from their platforms.
The Election Commission (EC) will serve as the reference point for election-related matters, while the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) will assist in disseminating verified information to the public. 'Content Forum Malaysia is our principal partner on digital content, platform engagement, and media literacy, while the Department of Community Communications (J-KOM) and National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI) will carry verified information into communities,' Nallini added. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) remains an essential supporting agency for regulatory channels, technical assistance, or further action involving platforms.
Nallini emphasised that the initiative was not intended to assess the accuracy of political manifestos or campaign claims, but to provide a trusted mechanism for verifying whether content attributed to media organisations was genuine. This aims to help safeguard public confidence in information circulating during election periods. She explained that a viral graphic falsely bearing the logo of a media organisation and claiming that a candidate has withdrawn could be verified within minutes by the organisation concerned, allowing a correction to be issued before the misinformation gains wider traction. Similarly, false claims involving election procedures could be referred to the EC for verification and clarification.
The initiative addresses the growing threat posed by synthetic and AI-generated content, which can be rapidly produced and widely disseminated during election campaigns. Alongside the initiative, the council will run a public awareness campaign carrying the slogan 'Who Said It? What's The Source?' to encourage voters to verify information before accepting or sharing it. Nallini stated that the message is to think before believing information, especially during elections when healthy participation depends on trusted information.
Present at the dialogue session, held in conjunction with National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) 2026 celebration, were Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah and deputy secretary-general (Strategic Communications and Creative Industry) Datuk Bahria Mohd Tamil. Among those in attendance were Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, Bernama chief executive officer and HAWANA 2026 working committee chair Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, Bernama editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, as well as senior management from local media organisations.