KUALA LUMPUR – New validity periods for media accreditation cards issued by the Information Department have come into effect today.
Cards for journalists with official government media and other local media organisations including online news sites will have a two-year validity period.
Malaysians employed in foreign media agencies will also get cards lasting two years, the department said in a statement today.
Media practitioners employed on a contractual basis, such as stringers, and non-Malaysian media personnel in foreign agencies, will have their media accreditation cards valid for a year.
Newly established online media sites which have just registered with the department, their cards will be valid for six months, pending further approval from the department.
“This (six-month) validity period is to ensure that the new online site is operating actively and legitimately without spreading disinformation.
“After (checks are completed), the validity period will be the same as the categories above,” it said in a statement today.
Media accreditation cards issued by the department are typically used as identification for journalists operating in the country and are usually required when covering official government-related events.
On March 5, the department said that it was in the process of streamlining procedures for the approval and issuance of media accreditation cards, including its validity period.
This exercise came about after Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil requested the department to re-examine the validity period for the cards, which previously saw local media allocated a two-year period while international media members were afforded a one-year term.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the department had begun issuing cards with different validity periods to media practitioners, with those from certain online news platforms given six months, while others were given one year.
This prompted the National Union of Journalists to urge the government to retain the two-year validity period, irrespective of the media outlet.
The approval process and criteria for media accreditation cards became a press freedom issue recently when Fahmi said it would be tied to the revised code of ethics for journalists which he launched last month.
Yesterday, Fahmi said that the media accreditation card is merely intended to make reporting easier when attending official government events, and does not function as a practising licence for members of the media. – March 7, 2024