Summary

Malaysiakini’s coverage last year has been shortlisted for three awards in the Society of Publishers in Asia (Sopa) 2025 Awards for Editorial Excellence.

This includes the news portal’s reporting on the Sabah corruption scandal implicating several Sabah assemblypersons, which is one of three contenders for The Scoop Award in the local/regional news category.

The scandal, which is still developing, is centred around a series of videos, documents, and screenshots of text messages implicating politicians in discussions about bribes in exchange for supporting a businessperson’s application for a mining exploration licence.

The businessperson “Albert” is seeking whistleblower protection. Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor had dismissed his claims as part of a coordinated effort to tarnish his administration’s reputation.

The other two finalists came from the Kini News Lab, which is a Malaysiakini unit specialising in data journalism and innovative storytelling.

The report “Timber grab: The truth behind Pahang oil palm plantations” highlighted how Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Pahang logging activities had disrupted the water supply in villages near Hulu Tembeling, Pahang.

It also highlights how such projects are connected with VIPs and GLC, and has been shortlisted for Sopa’s Excellence in Reporting on the Environment Award.

The ‘red river’ in Kelantan

The other short-listed report is “Heavy metals found in Kelantan Orang Asli blood, community fear poisoned by mining”, which is one of a multi-part series on the plight of a Temiar community in Gua Musang whose main water source has turned red due to mining activities.

Both reports by Kini News Lab were produced with support from the Pulitzer Centre.

Asia’s Pulitzer

Sopa was founded in Hong Kong in 1982 to encourage best practices in the publishing industry, set a high bar for journalistic standards, and be a voice for press freedom and journalists’ rights in Asia Pacific.

The annual Sopa Awards for Editorial Excellence was established in 1999 to recognise and reward great journalism. The annual awards are highly coveted and have become a highlight of the regional media calendar.

It has become widely regarded as the “Pulitzer Awards of Asia”.

Malaysiakini is one of only two Malaysian news outlets shortlisted for this year’s award.

The other is a documentary on “baby snatching” affecting stateless families in Sabah, which was produced by the investigative news outfit The Fourth and is shortlisted for the Excellence in Video Reporting Award.

The documentary was based on Malaysiakini’s exposé on the issue in 2023, which was recognised with a Sopa Award last year as well as the Kajai Award.