GE15: How did the mainstream media jump the gun on PM announcement and got it wrong?

Several mainstream media outlets have prematurely jumped the gun on the announcement of the 10th Malaysian Prime Minister, despite there being no official announcement. One of the outlets, Free Malaysia Today (FMT), even posted a public apology regarding the premature announcement.

“Earlier today, a draft of a story titled “Anwar Perdana Menteri sementara” was erroneously published at 4.53pm. We have since deleted the story and apologise for the confusion that we have caused,” wrote FMT in their statement.

Similarly with FMT, several other mainstream media outlets like New Straits Times (NST), The Vibes, and Channel News Asia (CNA) announced that Anwar Ibrahim, leader of Pakatan Harapan, was appointed as interim/caretaker Prime Minister of Malaysia. However, the posts have been retracted.

Anwar Ibrahim, when asked about a confirmation, told reporters outside the national palace that no decision has yet been made about the next prime minister. Muhyiddin reportedly left the palace without making a statement.

Currently, Twitter seemed like it’s having a field day with the blunder—from tweets of users who are congratulating Anwar Ibrahim prematurely, to users noting the chaos the announcement and retraction had caused. However, Malaysians are still waiting for the official announcement from the palace.

The palace has summoned 30 Barisan Nasional MPs to meet individually tomorrow morning at 10.30am. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has urged the public to remain calm and patient until the formation of a new government and appointment of the 10th Prime Minister is completed.

[ SOURCE, IMAGE SOURCE ]