Police have opened an investigation into a social media account accused of insulting media personnel by using an AI-generated image that depicted them as cattle.
Putrajaya district police chief Assistant Commissioner Aidi Sham Mohamed confirmed that the investigation was launched following a police report lodged by the Putrajaya Media Club (KMP) today.
“The investigation is under Section 505(c) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” he said when met by reporters here today.
Earlier, KMP lodged a report at the Presint 7 Police Station and submitted an online complaint to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) seeking further action.
The complaints followed the circulation of an AI-generated image on a social media account showing media personnel altered to resemble animals.
The original photograph is believed to have been taken while a group of photographers and journalists were covering former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s visit to the National Heroes Square in Putrajaya to pay his respects at the grave of his late wife, Tun Dr Hasmah Mohd Ali.
The altered image was accompanied by the caption, “Akal waras semakin sukar ditemui” (“Sane minds are becoming increasingly difficult to find”), which was alleged to be insulting to media personnel carrying out their professional duties.
In a statement, KMP said it viewed the matter seriously and stressed that media practitioners understand journalistic ethics while respecting human dignity, privacy and family sensitivities.
The club also said actions targeting media personnel while they were carrying out their professional duties should not be taken lightly, adding that it had left the matter to the authorities for further action.
