DARO: A joint initiative between the National Information Dissemination Centre (Nadi) of Matu and Daro, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Department of Information Malaysia (Japen) and Komuniti Madani has helped equip rural communities with essential skills in effective and ethical information sharing.
The Mini Basic Information Programme, held at Nadi Daro, saw participation from over 70 individuals representing Madani communities from both Matu and Daro districts.
Officiating the programme was Igan MP Ahmad Johnie Zawawi, who highlighted the importance of grassroots involvement in fighting misinformation.
“Rural communities must be empowered with the right knowledge so they are not easily swayed by false narratives or become unintentional spreaders of fake news,” he said, while lauding the efforts of Nadi, MCMC and Japen in organising the programme.
The session also introduced participants to Nadi AI, a follow-up initiative inspired by the Madani Community’s visit to Parliament on Feb 25 this year, during which members voiced their interest in learning the basics of artificial intelligence (AI) to Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
District information officer Nurhayati Abdul Halim said the programme reflects the government’s commitment to fostering media literacy at the community level.
Topics covered included ethical use of social media, evaluating information sources, and public speaking. These were delivered by Mukah District information officer Shahrulizan Madian, while a virtual session on Canva AI was conducted by Najmi Aliff Che Harun.
Participant Norlia Morshidi from Kampung Jemoreng welcomed the programme, describing it as timely and relevant.
“It helped raise our awareness of our responsibility as information bearers within our village. We learnt not to hastily share unverified content,” she said.