In a statement, the founding board said that applications for membership to the council would open in early August and close at the end of September.
The following members were appointed to the founding board:
Media owners
- Phyllis Wong (Utusan Borneo)
- James Sarda (Sabah Publishing House)
- Premesh Chandran (Malaysiakini)
- Ashwad Ismail (Astro Awani)
Media professionals
- Teh Athira Yusof (National Union of Journalists)
- Radzi Razak (Gerakan Media Merdeka)
- Ronnie Teo (Kuching Division Journalists Association)
- Muthameez Manan (Tamil Media Association)
Public interest representatives
- Gayathry Venkiteswaran (University of Nottingham, Malaysia)
- Celine Lim (SAVE Rivers)
- Terence Ooi (Wiki Impact)
- Azmyl Yunor (Sunway University)
The government may also appoint two representatives to the board.
The founding board announced that at its first meeting, it appointed Premesh as interim chairman pending the election of the full board this year.
“We recognise that the formation of the council is not a silver bullet,” Premesh said.
“Building a credible, effective council that protects media independence and supports the viability of the industry requires a large, active, and committed membership. We invite all stakeholders to take ownership of this institution,” he added.
Media owners, professionals, as well as individuals and organisations involved in the media ecosystem may apply to join the council through its official website, www.majlismedia.my, with a nominal fee of RM10.
The first annual general meeting is scheduled for Nov 7 in Kuala Lumpur, at which a new board will be elected and discussions held on the membership fee structure, industry code of conduct, complaints mechanism, budget, and relevant council by-laws.