Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak
KUALA LUMPUR: Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak said the internet has become the swing factor in elections as politics and political campaigns are now more dependable on the online and electronic media.
Salleh said political players started using the Internet in 1998 to sway public opinion but it was not until 10 years later that Malaysians realised the impact of the internet in swinging votes.
In his latest blog post, the UMNO treasurer cited media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has said that by 2050 the media was going to be totally online or electronic, and the print media was going to be a thing of the past.
“The way things are going, that may actually happen far earlier than 2050,” Salleh said, adding that everyone, especially the media industry, needed to move with times and become internet-savvy.
“Even more importantly we must not spoil the integrity of the online media with the proliferation of fake news because this will create a serious problem of trust deficit,” he said.
Salleh stressed that everyone must ensure that the integrity of the online media is not killed off due to the action of a few.
“If not, what can be a very valuable tool would become a stigma, because no one would trust what is published online,” he said. – Bernama