Malaysia’s Minister of Local Government and Housing, Nga Kor Ming, has called on media practitioners to ensure that every news report and headline is accurate, warning that irresponsible, clickbait-style headlines could undermine social harmony.
He emphasized that headlines should reflect the full context of a story rather than merely aiming to attract clicks.
“With the rise of social media platforms and widespread use of AI technologies, disseminating news has become increasingly challenging. Modern communication tools are a double-edged sword: while social media allows government messages to reach more people quickly, it also opens the door for misinformation, manipulation, and false claims, which can spread in mere seconds,” he said.
Speaking at the 2025 Housing and Local Government Media Excellence Awards ceremony, Nga Kor Ming highlighted the risks of the “echo chamber effect,” where individuals are exposed only to content aligning with their own views, reinforcing pre-existing beliefs and limiting exposure to differing perspectives. “This phenomenon can hinder objective and balanced judgment, affecting social cohesion and national unity,” he added.
He stressed the growing importance of close collaboration between media and government in building a responsible and mature communication ecosystem. The government has established the Malaysia Media Council to promote journalistic ethics, uphold responsible media freedom, and serve as a channel to handle domestic media complaints.
“I urge all those involved in public communication, including government officers and journalists, to continue exploring creative ways to deliver information that resonates with the public while being relevant, accurate, factual, and reliable,” he said. “Focus should be placed on development, economic, and social issues, fostering constructive discussions based on real topics rather than emotionally charged content.”
Nga Kor Ming reaffirmed the department’s commitment to open, two-way communication, welcoming media feedback to strengthen public information dissemination.
