Hawana: Platform for journalists to strengthen commitment, responsibility to the profession
KUALA LUMPUR,. The National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) 2023 celebration is a platform for journalists to strengthen their commitment and sense of responsibility to the profession, thereby contributing to the development of the country.
In fact, National Journalism Laureate Tan Sri Johan Jaafar said Hawana, which is celebrated on May 29 each year, is not only a recognition of the roles played by the local journalists but also a platform to strengthen the national journalism ecosystem.
“We meet once a year (at the Hawana celebration) not just to get together, but to strengthen our commitment, our profession, our ethics, our future and to ensure that we continue to have an ecosystem that enables us to operate in the best way and provide the best work.
“This is our commitment, our responsibility as journalists.
“The responsibility of journalists is not just to report the news. What’s more important is to keep the nation updated, understand our duties and play our roles for the common good,” he said when featured in the Bernama Radio’s Jendela Fikir programme today.
The Hawana 2023 celebration is scheduled to take place from May 27 to 29 in Ipoh, Perak with the theme “Media Bebas, Tunjang Demokrasi” to re-emphasise the issue of freedom for the media practitioners to discharge their duties.
Various activities have been lined up for Hawana 2023, such as a media forum involving journalists from Asean member countries, a mini carnival, a treasure hunt and a bowling tournament.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to grace the highlight of the celebration on May 28.
Elaborating, Johan said the aspect of media freedom, which is one of the pillars of democracy, has seen an encouraging development in Malaysia, especially after the 14th General Election (GE14) in May 2018.
Based on the 2023 World Press Freedom Index, Malaysia has jumped 40 places to be ranked 73rd compared to the 113th spot last year.
Malaysia is also ranked the highest among the Asean countries, ahead of Thailand (106), Indonesia (108), Singapore (129), the Philippines (132), Brunei (142), Cambodia (147), Laos (160), Myanmar (173) and Vietnam (178).
–Bernama
