Toby Mendel, the executive director of the Centre for Law and Democracy, said such a system has been successfully implemented in Indonesia, eliminating the need to hastily resort to legal action.

“I strongly recommend having a special law for the media where if you have a complaint against the media, you should go through the complaint system first.

“If, after going through the system, you still feel the need for further remedy, only then should you consider going to court,” he said at a forum titled “Strengthening Media for Change” organised by the National Union of Journalists here today.

Mendel also suggested that complaints be directed at media outlets rather than individual journalists.

“The complaint should focus on media outlets. If a journalist invades my privacy, it’s not a good thing, but it’s not a major issue if the media doesn’t publish it.

“It is essentially the published report that causes harm, so complaints should be directed at the outlet, not the journalist,” he said.

He also backed calls by civil society organisations to remove government representatives from the media council’s board.

“There’s no need for that. You already have strong media representatives in the council, and that’s good enough,” he said.

Last month, CSOs led by the Centre for Independent Journalism issued a statement warning that government appointees with full voting and decision-making powers would undermine the independence of the media council and contradict its self-regulatory purpose.

The Malaysian Media Council Bill was tabled last month and the second reading of the bill is expected to take place in February.

The council will be tasked to develop and implement a code of reporting ethics and serve as a conduit between the media, the government and the public, as well as support the professional development of journalists.