Kuala lumpur: Journalism today requires practitioners to move beyond conventional reporting and adapt to the demands of digital platforms and algorithm-driven audiences, former Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) director-general Datuk Suhaimi Sulaiman said. He stated that journalists must remain relevant across multiple platforms to stay competitive and shape public discourse.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Suhaimi stressed that being relevant allows journalists to control the narrative regardless of the platform being used. He shared these insights during the session titled How Journalists Navigate the Evolving Media Landscape at the National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) 2026 Media Forum. The session also featured other panellists, including Sin Chew Media Corporation Bhd group editor-in-chief Datuk Kuik Cheng Kang, Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA) president Ronnie Teo Teck Wei, and Sabah Journalists Association (SJA) president Mariah Doksil.
Suhaimi, who is also a former chairman of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), highlighted the need for journalists to possess a broader skill set. This includes ethical judgment, search engine optimisation (SEO), data analytics, platform literacy, and visual storytelling. He explained that modern journalists must be part editor, part strategist, and part data analyst, while also being adept on camera to cater to audiences who prefer audiovisual content over reading.
He further emphasised the importance of crisis awareness and strategic thinking, noting that audiences now consume content mainly through social media and digital feeds. Suhaimi pointed out that journalists must adapt to these changes to avoid losing relevance, suggesting that stories appearing on the For You Page (FYP) could gain more traction.
Suhaimi also underscored the necessity for journalists to understand keywords and audience behaviour to keep their content visible across platforms. Professionally trained journalists, he argued, still maintain an edge over untrained content creators due to their solid grounding in ethics, verification, and news judgment. He remarked that journalists should go beyond mere information delivery and learn to connect with audiences both emotionally and digitally through effective storytelling.
Meanwhile, media practitioners in Sabah and Sarawak called for a shift in the national narrative, urging their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia to move beyond stereotypes and geographical biases. Mariah highlighted the persistent stereotypical portrayals in reporting about Sabah, questioning the federal-centric narratives that often depict the state as rural and poor while framing issues involving Sabah's rights predominantly from a political perspective.
Ronnie addressed the logistical and financial challenges faced in business reporting in East Malaysia, noting that many initial public offering (IPO) and stock exchange listing events are held physically in Kuala Lumpur. This creates additional costs for media personnel, as companies often do not cover travel expenses.