BERNAMA – State Media Monitor

The Malaysian National News Agency, better known by its acronym BERNAMA, is the country’s official news service, established to disseminate domestic and international news for both public and private media organisations. Founded in 1967 through an Act of Parliament, BERNAMA maintains a robust national presence, with bureaus in every Malaysian state and a network of correspondents stationed in key foreign capitals. In addition to its newswire services, BERNAMA also operates its own television and radio platforms, expanding its reach across broadcast media.

Media assets

News agency: Bernama

Television: Bernama TV

Radio: Bernama Radio

State Media Matrix Typology

Ownership and governance

Although often described as semi-autonomous, BERNAMA operates under the purview of the Ministry of Communications and Digital, which exercises administrative oversight. The agency is governed by two key bodies: A Supervisory Council, consisting of five members appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Malaysia’s constitutional monarch), tasked with ensuring the agency operates within the parameters of its founding statute; and a Board of Governors, made up of seven appointees—also selected by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong—responsible for strategic decision-making and high-level oversight.

Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin is serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BERNAMA. She was formally appointed CEO in February 2024, after previously being the Editor-in-Chief and assuming CEO duties following her predecessor’s retirement.

Despite its formal designation as an autonomous statutory body, BERNAMA’s institutional framework embeds it firmly within the state apparatus.

Source of funding and budget

In 2022, the agency received a government allocation of MYR 68 million (approximately USD 15 million), as reported by the Ministry of Communications. BERNAMA supplements this with limited commercial revenue, primarily from advertising and content licensing. However, these earnings fall well short of the government’s annual subsidy. Importantly, the revenue it generates is not retained independently but is channelled through the Ministry—highlighting the absence of financial autonomy.

As of mid-2025, detailed figures for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years have not been made public, but government statements indicate that funding levels remain broadly consistent, with additional support earmarked for digital transformation initiatives.

Editorial independence

BERNAMA’s editorial line is widely perceived to lean in favour of the government, a stance that has long drawn criticism from local journalists and civil society observers. Interviews conducted with Malaysian media experts in early 2024 and in May 2025 underscored the agency’s role as a primary content supplier for national media outlets, many of which routinely republish its reports with minimal modification.

The agency lacks any statutory safeguards for editorial independence, and no independent external mechanism currently exists to assess its content or newsroom practices. Although calls for reform have periodically surfaced—particularly during times of political transition—meaningful structural change has yet to materialize.

July 2025