UMNO Hang Tuah Jaya Division chief Mohd Ridhwan Mohd Ali has urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to take firm action against a TV station over a report he said misled the public about UMNO.
He cited Awesome TV’s Berita 7:57 item titled “Zahid Rosakkan UMNO, Muhyiddin Lemaskan Bersatu,” saying it presented allegations against UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as facts, potentially confusing viewers.
“We strongly protest the programme’s unprofessional conduct. Berita 7:57 and the owner of Awesome TV must be held accountable for airing opinions of ‘observers’ as if they were verified facts,” he said in a statement.
He added that this was not the first time Awesome TV had been implicated in serious broadcasting ethics breaches, pointing to repeated violations of ethics and licence terms.
“This is not their first offence. In February 2023, MCMC investigated their false report claiming 800,000 civil servants would be laid off; in May 2023, they were compounded RM250,000 for licence breaches and unauthorised operations; and during GE15 (2022), Berita 7:57 faced backlash over racially charged reporting.”
He called on MCMC to immediately investigate the content and overall editorial practices and, if the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 is found to be breached, to impose tough measures including suspension or revocation of the licence, alongside a mandatory open correction and stricter guidelines against perception-driven, defamatory and unbalanced reports.
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