PETALING JAYA – The Malaysian Media Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan as Chairperson of the Malaysian Media Council.
The appointment of Tan Sri Nallini was unanimously agreed by the Board Members of the Malaysian Media Council at its Board meeting on 26 May 2026.
The Council welcomes this appointment as an important milestone in strengthening its role as an independent, credible and public-interest-based self-regulatory body for the media industry.
Tan Sri Nallini retired from the Federal Court of Malaysia in February 2026 after eighteen distinguished years on the Bench, having served across all three tiers of the superior judiciary and authored around 325 reported judgments, including landmark decisions in constitutional and commercial law.
The first woman of South Asian ethnicity elevated to Malaysia’s superior judiciary, she practised at Messrs Skrine for over two decades before her judicial appointment, and now sits as an arbitrator and mediator.
She is Vice Chair of the International Bar Association’s Judges Forum, a member of the Steering Group of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts, and a judge of the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre.
Her career-long commitment to judicial independence, the rule of law, and access to justice makes her singularly placed to lead the Council as it begins its work of fostering a free, responsible, and self-regulating media in Malaysia.
The Malaysian Media Council was established under the Malaysian Media Council Act 2025 as a self-regulatory body for the media industry. Its establishment marks an important step in the reform of Malaysia’s media landscape, particularly in developing a more independent, transparent and accountable mechanism to address issues of ethics, public complaints and journalistic standards.
As an independent body, the Malaysian Media Council is tasked with strengthening journalistic standards, administering a public complaints mechanism concerning the media, promoting ethical practice, and defending media freedom as an essential foundation of democracy.
Under the leadership of Tan Sri Nallini, the Malaysian Media Council will focus on strengthening the institution, implementing the Code of Conduct, developing a fair and trusted complaints system, and improving public understanding of the role of the media in a democratic society.
The Council will also give particular attention to the legal reform agenda affecting the media, journalists and the public’s right to accurate information. This includes efforts to encourage a clearer and more balanced legal environment that is consistent with the principles of freedom of expression, the right to information, journalistic ethics and the public interest.
This appointment comes at an important time as the media industry faces major challenges, including economic pressure, technological change, artificial intelligence, misinformation, threats against journalists, and the need to rebuild public trust in the media.
The Malaysian Media Council is confident that Tan Sri Nallini’s leadership will help guide the Council into a more mature, independent and credible phase, with a focus on three key foundations: standards, ethics and freedom.
The Malaysian Media Council records its appreciation to all parties who have supported the establishment of the Council from its early stages, including media organisations, journalists’ associations, independent media practitioners, civil society, academics and the Government, who have supported the development of a self-regulatory framework for the Malaysian media. -MalayaDailyToday
