Govt to draft bill on returning ad spend to media organisations: Fahmi

PUTRAJAYA – The Communications and Digital Ministry plans to draft a bill related to the return of advertising expenditure for the survival of media organisations in this country, said its minister Fahmi Fadzil.

Speaking at the ministry’s monthly assembly here today, Fahmi said the drafting of the bill was important because he did not want to see more media practitioners lose their jobs or undertake a voluntary separation scheme.

He said the government also intends to hold a meeting with giant companies such as Google, Meta, and TikTok to discuss the matter, because the situation is partly contributed by advertising expenditure being taken out of the country by them.

“We see a huge impact on media organisations. Many workers have been laid off and this is something that I believe the government cannot take lightly.

“So I’m planning to work on the drafting of a specific bill on the return of advertising expenditure to media organisations in Malaysia,” he said. – Bernama, July 31, 2023