The Malaysian National News Agency (Pertubuhan Berita Nasional Malaysia, BERNAMA) is the official news agency of the Malaysian government. The agency has branches in every state in Malaysia as well as a network of foreign correspondents. The agency also operates its own television and radio services.
Media assets
News agency: BERNAMA
Television: BERNAMA TV
Radio: BERNAMA Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
BERNAMA is an autonomous body belonging to and run by the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia The agency was set up by a legal act adopted by Parliament in 1967. The main governing structures at BERNAMA are a Supervisory Board consisting of five people all appointed by the head of state (Yang di-Pertuan Agong). The management of the agency is represented by a Board of Governors with seven members appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Source of funding and budget
In 2019, BERNAMA received from the government a budget allocation of MYR 11.7m (US$ 2.8m), according to the 2019 annual report of the ministry of communications and multimedia, the latest data available from the company. The agency also generates revenues through sales of ads, but this source of income is much lower than the subsidy that the agency gets from the government. Moreover, the revenue generated by BERNAMA is collected by the ministry.
Editorial independence
As a government-run agency, BERNAMA is editorially biased towards the government. According to local journalists and experts, the agency operates as a conduit between the government and the local media outlets (that republish content from BERNAMA on a regular basis).
No independent assessment mechanism and no statute that establishes the independence of BERNAMA have been identified.
October 2023