On the eve of World Press Freedom Day (falls on 3 May each year), CIJ, activists and members of the public sat down in the park at the KLCC to read newspapers- but reading them upside down- to remind the state as well as the public about the importance of press freedom. Reading newspapers upside [...]

52 years ago, on 1 September, newspapers heralded the birth of a new nation comprised of peoples of multiple ethnicities. Today, the media buzzword is 1Malaysia, a concept introduced by the government of the day as an affirmation of the various ethnic groups that make up the nation.     That the concept itself is [...]

A petition coordinated by CIJ and Empower in response to the recent threatening and investigation of journalist and activists under the Penal Code, the Sedition Act, the Printing Presses and Publication Act, or the Syariah Criminal Offences Act attracted signatures from more than a thousand individuals and 67 organizations. This was announced in a press [...]

CIJ has proposed to the Ministry of Home Affairs to review of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and establish a Parliamentary Select Committee to engage the public on the exercise during a consultation meeting with the Ministry. Soon after the current Minister of Home Affairs, Hishamuddin Hussien assumed office in April, he has [...]

For the civil society, the formal announcement of the Selangor state's intention to enact the Freedom of Information(FOI) bill is a sweet foretaste to after 5 years of lobbying. Khalid Ibrahim is one of the vocal callers for an FOI himself prior to his election as Chief Minister, and to 's credit, he continues after [...]

The Annexe Gallery at Central Market, along with the Centre for Independent Journalism, hosted a forum on 10 May 2009 discussing the contemporary Malaysian media climate and its potential for greater openness. Entitled “Media Under Najib: Hope or Disappointment?” the forum chronicled emerging trends across both traditional and new media in the weeks since Prime [...]

A multinational Southeast Asian journalists’ mission has called to stop the killings and better the protection for journalists. The mission starts with a visit to Philippines where it is the fourth anniversary of the killing of a woman journalist.   Marlene Garcia Esperat, 45, made exposing corruption in the local government and the department of [...]

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and the Kuala Langat Municipal Council collaborated in a day-long workshop for the women in Banting to raise awareness on violence against women. By helping them to recognize an issue, CIJ hopes to encourage the community to express their view and experience through community media.   By: Apsara Murale [...]

The 3rd Internet Governance Forum (IGF) commenced in Hyderabad, India to continue addressing the issue of managing and harnessing the potential of Internet for the globalized world. Once again, the raging debate is whether the Internet should be controlled in view of challenges such as security, privacy, and pornography. By: Gayathry Venkiteswaran, CIJ Executive Director [...]

A workshop was conducted by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) to build the capacity of the indigenous people in Strategic Information Communication Technology for twenty-seven community organizers from the Jaringan Orang Asal (JOAS) network. They have experienced the effects of illegal logging, deforestation and destruction of indigenous culture and are eager to share their [...]