Kuala lumpur: The Sebenarnya.my portal remains a fact-checking platform for verifying information based on official sources and facts, and is not a channel to defend any political narrative.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Communications Ministry stressed that the portal was established as the national fact-checking platform to help the public obtain authentic information, particularly on claims that have gone viral, are doubtful or have the potential to affect public interest. The ministry said that in determining whether a claim is false or misleading, verification is carried out based on official confirmation from the relevant ministries, departments, agencies or authorities within their respective jurisdictions.
"Assessments are made based on facts, official records, authentic documents and accountable sources," the ministry said in a written reply published on the Parliament website. The ministry was responding to a question from Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) on the criteria used by the Sebenarnya.my portal to determine whether a claim is false or misleading, as well as whether the ministry was prepared to establish an independent multi-stakeholder panel to ensure the platform is not perceived as merely defending the government's narrative.
The Communications Ministry said articles published on the Sebenarnya.my portal are classified into four categories: false, clarification, caution and information. It said the "false" category involves rebuttals of false information or fake news, while the "clarification" category provides further explanation on issues raised.
The "caution" category serves to alert the public to information or news that is currently circulating or considered doubtful, while the "information" category comprises announcements or updates issued by the relevant authorities. "Between Jan 1, 2022 and May 31 this year, a total of 1,016 articles were published on the portal," the ministry said.
It added that fact-checking efforts have also been strengthened through collaboration between the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and various stakeholders, including the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and the Department of Broadcasting Malaysia (RTM), as well as through the use of the Artificial Intelligence Fact-check Assistant (AIFA), which was launched on Jan 28, 2025. As of June 1, 2026, AIFA had processed nearly 200,000 user messages.
On the proposal to establish an independent multi-stakeholder panel to monitor the platform, the ministry said it remains open to considering any mechanism that could enhance the transparency, credibility and public confidence in the fact-checking platform.