By Siti Nurain Ratani
KUALA LUMPUR: Media practitioners must balance speed and accuracy in news reporting to ensure journalism remains credible amid the growing influence of social media and artificial intelligence (AI).
Former RTM Director-General, Datuk Suhaimi Sulaiman, said today’s media landscape requires journalists and social media administrators to move quickly in delivering information to audiences without compromising the accuracy of reports.
Recalling his experience with Astro AWANI, he said journalists must immediately produce short reports upon arriving at a location, then expand them into television reports and more comprehensive stories for news portals.
“Journalists need to deliver information quickly to readers. As soon as they arrive at the location, they should produce a short report first before developing it further for television and news portals,” he said.
He was responding to a question raised by Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir on how media organisations can maintain reporting accuracy amid pressure to be the fastest during the second session of the forum titled ‘How Media Practitioners Adapt to the Rapidly Evolving Media Landscape’ held in conjunction with the HAWANA 2026 Media Forum here today (May 7).
Suhaimi explained that media practitioners today must also ensure they remain relevant as audiences no longer rely solely on traditional platforms for news.
He revealed that journalists now need to equip themselves with a range of new skills, including editorial judgement, basic search engine optimisation (SEO), data analytics, digital platform literacy and visual storytelling.
“Today, a journalist’s job is no longer just about reporting. Journalists must ensure they remain relevant.
“If we continue merely reporting and expect people to come to our platforms, we will lose in the competition,” he added.
He noted that audiences today consume more content through social media and digital platforms compared to television or newspapers.
“People no longer turn to television or buy newspapers like they used to. They watch content on TikTok and other platforms.
“That is why journalists today need to be part editor, strategist and data analyst,” he said.
He also stressed that the role of social media administrators, or ‘admins’, has become increasingly important in ensuring faster, more effective news dissemination.
Meanwhile, Group Editor-in-Chief of Sin Chew Media Corporation Bhd and Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) council member, Datuk Kuik Cheng Kang, stressed that the speed of producing news should never override the media’s responsibility towards accurate reporting.
“In producing news, we must be responsible and credible. If we make mistakes in how we deliver information, readers and the public will no longer trust what we present later.
“Yes, we need to be fast, but the news must also be accurate and credible,” he added.
President of the Sabah Journalists Association, Mariah Doksil, said the media cannot ignore current trends, but at the same time must ensure that the authenticity of news is preserved.
She said the media must find ways to ensure accuracy and speed move together so that verified content is not overshadowed by sensational or gossip-driven social media news.
“We need to find ways for both to move together. Otherwise, gossip will win. We do not want gossip to win; we need to win,” she remarked.
Mariah said technological advancements, including transcription applications and AI, are now accelerating the news preparation process, especially for breaking updates.
However, she acknowledged that newsrooms are also facing increasing pressure to attract reader traffic amid intensifying competition in the digital media landscape.
