KUALA LUMPUR: The Minister of Communications and Multimedia has ordered RTM’s management to investigate allegations that its television news broadcast in Mandarin has labelled the Palestine Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) as militants.
The term ” militants” was said to have been used in the TV2 Mandarin news bulletin yesterday when reporting about Israel’s airstrikes and attack on the Palestians in Gaza.
Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said the Mandarin Desk editor and Mandarin chief news editor had been summoned to give an explanation while the officers involved had been given show-cause letters.
“The Current Affairs News Section has also been asked to review the standard operating procedure (SOP) for newsroom duties, especially on editing and publishing of TV news to ensure that a similar mistake would not be repeated in future,” he said in a statement today.
Saifuddin added Malaysia always stands by Palestine and the people’s aspiration regarding the ongoing conflict as well as supports Palestinian sovereignty and freedom.
