Kuala Lumpur: The RM30 million allocation announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for digital transformation will help media organisations adapt to the evolving media landscape, particularly in facing challenges posed by social media and meeting the expectations of the new generation, especially Gen Z. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil stated that the fund is one of the largest in the country’s journalism history and aims to strengthen the digital capabilities of local media organisations.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Fahmi highlighted the significance of this allocation, describing it as possibly one of the largest ever provided for the media. He expressed hope that the fund would assist media organisations in navigating ongoing changes, especially with the emergence of social media and the preferences of new readers and viewers, particularly Gen Z. Fahmi made these remarks at a press conference following the HAWANA 2025 highlight event at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL), which was officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and attended by around 1,000 media practitioners from Malaysia and abroad.
Also present at the press conference were Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, Capital A Bhd CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, and Bernama editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, who also serves as the HAWANA 2025 project director. Fahmi noted that the fund was partly inspired by the success of a previous collaboration with Google, which involved over 30 media organisations in efforts to find new revenue sources through digital platforms.
This year, the partnership continues with a new initiative known as Project Sigma, which aims to help media organisations better understand the content consumption behaviour of the younger generation. Fahmi stated that the results from Project Sigma were very encouraging, and the RM30 million fund will support similar initiatives and help media outlets explore new platforms, reach new audiences, and experiment with new formats in pursuit of sustainability. He added that the Communications Ministry will soon announce the mechanism for fund application and management.
On a separate note, Fahmi mentioned a one-off 50 per cent discount for round-trip tickets to any of the 57 ASEAN destinations, which AirAsia offers as a token of appreciation to journalists. He also announced that AirAsia plans to dedicate an aircraft to the media fraternity, featuring a journalism-themed plane with a special name, livery, and design to be unveiled at a future event.
Earlier, the Prime Minister announced the RM30 million allocation to support the media industry’s adoption of digital technologies and the production of modern content. HAWANA 2025, organised by the Communications Ministry with Bernama as the implementing agency, aims to recognise the contributions of media practitioners to national development. May 29 has been gazetted as National Journalists’ Day, in conjunction with the first publication of Utusan Melayu on May 29, 1939, to honour the media’s role in shaping an informed and progressive society.