Summary
Malaysiakini wins big at the MPI-Petronas Malaysia Journalism Awards 2024, taking home four gold awards.
News portal bags first prize in four categories.
Malaysiakini bagged four gold awards last night at the MPI-Petronas Malaysia Journalism Awards 2024.
The news portal won the first prize in four categories: Best Video Talkshow; Best Multimedia; Best Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Reporting; and Best Investigative Reporting.
It also bagged the third prize for Best Investigative Reporting.
KiniTV’s Vivian Yap and Phung Yie Wen won the award for Best Video Show through a segment of their Lapang Dada talk show in Bahasa Malaysia titled “Rakyat Tanpa Kerakyatan Di Malaysia: Adakah Ini Masanya Untuk Dihentikan?”.
They share this win with executive producer of the show Tham Seen Hau, host Sheha Amir, and English subtitles editor Faidzal Moktar.
The segment featured activist Wong Kueng Hui, Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) president Ibrahim Ali, Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas (DHRRA) Malaysia director for social protection Maalini Ramalo, Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations chairperson Lukman Sheriff Alias and constitutional expert Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmood discussing the issue of statelessness in Malaysia.
The Best Multimedia category went to Kini News Lab’s interactive simulation about online scams titled “Can You Escape Online Scams?”.
It provides users with an opportunity to understand the slick tactics used by scammers by playing a series of games, which give different possible scenarios.
Former Kini News Lab editor Aidila Razak, former Kini News Lab web developer Ooi Choon Nam, Kini News Lab illustrator Amin Landak, former web designer Nor Natasya Syahirah Mohd Zaffri, Malaysiakini graphic editor Syariman Badrulzaman and former Malaysiakini journalists Dania Kamal Aryf and Wong Kang Jia won the award.
Exposing deforestation
Former Malaysiakini journalist Low Choon Chyuan, Chinese desk editor Lee Weng Keat, former photographer Mukhriz Hazim Zabidi, Amin, Ooi and Natasya bagged the Best ESG Reporting through a series of reports about deforestation in Pahang.
The series tackled poor governance in the management of oil palm plantations, resulting in wide-scale deforestation in environmentally sensitive areas, including an area bordering a tiger sanctuary.
Investigative journalist Vinothaa Selvatoray, Malaysiakini’s former photographer Azneal Ishak, former KiniTV multimedia journalist Khoo Shiyuan, Aidila, Amin and Ooi secured the news portal’s fourth gold award for Best Investigative Reporting.
Their three-part investigation found dangerously high levels of chromium, a cancer-causing metal, in the blood of an Orang Asli youth living near iron ore mines in Kampung Kelaik, Gua Musang.
His cancer risk was 64,000 times above normal. The mines are part of a supply chain linked to exports of steel products going to China, Australia, and other countries.
The series included:
Heavy Metals Found in Kelantan Orang Asli Blood, Community Fear Poisoned by Mining
Red rivers and death: Natives fight iron ore mining in Kelantan rainforest
K’tan Iron Ore Exports Fuelling Environmental Damage, Affecting Orang Asli’s Health
Malaysiakini also won the third prize in the category through a series of extensive investigations on migrant workers trafficking syndicates by journalist B Nantha Kumar.
His entry titled “Sindiket Warga Asing ‘Ikan Besar’ Masih Bebas” featured articles that exposed a counter-setting syndicate involving Immigration Department officers, who had allegedly abused Malaysia’s medical visa to smuggle foreign workers.