PUTRAJAYA, March 29 — The government has tabled the Anti-Fake News Bill 2018 to ensure that the news that will be disseminated is purely based on facts, according to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said the tabling of the Bill was timely due to the overwhelming spread of fake news today.

"It is not that the government wants to restrict the freedom of speech or confine people from giving insight or criticism,” he said in his speech at the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Excellence Service Awards presentation ceremony here today.

Khairy also reminded the ministry’s personnel to verify the authenticity of a news before sharing the information with others in order to prevent the spread of false news, especially among the civil servants.

He said although work environment demands that the people become technology-savvy to stay relevant, it should not be to the point of spreading any information they received without verification.

"In order to stay relevant today, you have to be social media-savvy. You do not have to meet every other time in the meeting room... You can just discuss and delegate the tasks via phone.

"However, when it comes to news, do not simply fall for it and become ‘makcik atau pakcik bawang’ (busybodies or newsmongers) who share the news right away without checking. Do verify the authenticity of the news before you share it with others,” he added.

The event saw 392 individuals received the awards. — Bernama