Categories: Digital LifeNews

MalaysiaKini calls for help to raise funds to pay RM500,000 fine, exceeded target within 4 hours

MalaysiaKini has been slapped with RM500,000 fine for contempt of court over comments made on its portal in June 2020. During the sentencing, MalaysiaKini was ordered to settle the fine within three days from Monday.

The online news portal had posted a call for public donations at 12.04pm and in 3 hours, they have raised RM270,000. As of 4:00pm, they have raised a total of RM505,000, exceeding its initial target.

Source: MalaysiaKini

According to MalaysiaKini, the fundraiser is now closed and they will provide more details of what they will do with the extra funds soon.

During the sentencing, Tan Sri Rohana Yusuf said the offending comments in question were “spurious and reprehensible” while allegations of corruption were “false and untrue”. MalaysiaKini argued that they were unaware of the comments as it didn’t contain suspected words that could trigger its commenting system’s moderation filters.

After they were contacted by the police, the editorial team had immediately reviewed and deleted the comments within the same day. Editor-in-Chief Steven Gan said “We were not punished for our journalism. We were punished for comments posted by our readers.”

The decision made by the courts has the potential to set a dangerous precedent. While there’s a need for responsible moderation by online publications, it is almost impossible to ensure that readers do not make offending comments on the platform.

[ SOURCE ]

Related reading

Recent Posts

No more RM1 interbank ATM fee from 1st July 2026, unlimited free withdrawals at over 14,000 machines in Malaysia

While most Malaysians have gone cashless, here's some good news for those who withdraw cash…

55 minutes ago

Perodua QV-E is now priced from RM63,499: Also available through outright purchase

Perodua QV-E can now be obtained from as low as RM63,499, not inclusive of the…

60 minutes ago

Meta offers Instagram Plus, WhatsApp Plus and Facebook Plus in Malaysia from RM3.50/month

Meta has finally rolled out its paid subscription offerings in Malaysia with the introduction of…

6 hours ago

iCaur Malaysia upgrades EV battery warranty to 10 years/200,000km for all 2026-registered vehicles

iCaur Malaysia has announced enhanced warranty coverage for all 2026-registered vehicles, extending warranty protection for…

1 day ago

Vivo Y31s Malaysia: 6,500mAh battery, IP69+ durability from RM1,199

Vivo Malaysia has introduced the new Vivo Y31s, a budget that boasts a large battery…

1 day ago

Realme 16 and 16T Malaysia: Slim 7,000mAh and 8,000mAh battery smartphones, now available from RM1,299

Realme Malaysia has officially launched the Realme 16 and Realme 16T which focuses on long…

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.