The Malaysian government has announced the launch of the Media Innovation Fund 2.0, allocating RM30 million (about S$9.4 million) to continue supporting the media industry’s transformation and development. The new round of funding has been widely welcomed by media organisations.
Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil said on Saturday (31 October) that applications for the fund would open on Sunday (1 November). The new round covers five areas of assistance, including the use of artificial intelligence, training and equipment purchases.
He stressed that media organisations receiving grants must comply with a condition barring arbitrary layoffs, even when facing financial difficulties.
Malaysian media organisations welcomed the announcement, saying it would help journalists improve their professional skills and strengthen technological capabilities, enabling them to produce higher-quality content.
Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, chief executive of Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama, said the innovation fund reflected the government’s continued commitment to helping Malaysian media organisations sustain their operations and avoid layoffs. It was not merely financial assistance, but a strategic government investment to safeguard the future of journalism in the country.
Discussing the challenges facing the industry, Sinar Harian group editor-in-chief Zamri Rambli said digital giants Meta, Google and TikTok commanded a large share of the advertising market, leaving traditional media companies facing shrinking revenues. Under financial pressure, media organisations often prioritised staff salaries, forcing them to cut spending on training, equipment and software.
"The support from the government and the ministry through this fund will enable media companies to focus on training and acquiring the latest technological equipment,” he said.
On how the fund was being used, Media Prima’s deputy managing editor for news and current affairs, Farrah Naz Abd Karim, said the group’s news and current affairs division had used last year’s first round of funding for technical training and mobile journalism kits. This had helped journalists become more confident in producing content for different platforms.
She acknowledged that media transformation was crucial, but said the group’s annual budget constraints meant the process would take much longer without financial support from the fund.
Beyond enhancing technical capabilities, Sin Chew Daily editor-in-chief Chan Aun Kuang said the fund gave Malaysian media organisations an opportunity to accelerate their digital transformation and reach new audiences while retaining their distinctive linguistic and cultural identities and editorial styles.
S. Gopalakrishnan, editor-in-chief of the Tamil-language newspaper Makkal Osai, also said the financial assistance was crucial to helping traditional newspapers move to digital platforms, sustain their operations and safeguard the welfare of Tamil media workers.
