Centre for Independent Journalism

📌CIJ Commemorates World Press Freedom Day 2026 and Calls for the Protection of Media Workers’ Rights

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia commemorates and celebrates World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2026 this 3 May. The Malaysian media has come a long way serving as the country’s fourth estate, experiencing the same growing pains alongside Malaysia’s democracy.

The passing of the Media Council Act in 2025 and the long-anticipated Freedom of Information Bill expected to be tabled soon marks a welcome progression in enabling press freedom. We therefore hope to see the continued strengthening of independent media and a self-regulated media ecosystem.

However, CIJ notes with concern Malaysia’s recent drop in its score in the recent Press Freedom Index by Reporters without Borders (RSF): from 88th place to the 95th place globally. The fallen overall score (from 56.09 to 52.73) shows a concerning deterioration in the quality of media freedom locally, even amidst the overall worsening of press freedom globally.