Free Malaysia Today is one of the independent online news portals based in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Owned and managed by FMT Media Sdn Bhd, it is one of the leading sources for Malaysians to look for independent news.
Background of Free Malaysia Today
Free Malaysia Today or fondly known as FMT was established in 2009. It is a bilingual news portal that provides content in English Language and Bahasa Malaysia. What makes FMT such a unique portal among Malaysians is that it focuses a lot on the current affairs occurring in the country.
This has been done since its inception in 2009 and has been carried on until the present day. FMT has monthly visits exceeding 11 million each month, making it one of the most accessed news sites in Malaysia.
Its origins date back to the Reformasi political period in Malaysia when there was a huge call for more transparent and independent news reporting. As most of the mainstream media in Malaysia was owned and controlled by the ruling party of the government and people became more vocal in their views and opinions, online media sites started to emerge.
FreeMalaysia.com, together with other independent sites like Malaysia Today and Malaysian Insider became more popular until the establishment of Free Malaysia Today in November 2009 which included several veteran news media individuals.
Format and content of FMT
FMT mostly provides news on politics and current affairs. This is one of the flagship offerings in FMT as the portal has a strong affiliation with its readers for being more neutral and unbiased in news reporting. This is mostly attributed to its origins when there was a lot of call for more news that was not pro-BN.
This is a reputation that FMT has built upon with its readers. Hence, FMT’s readers will visit the portal daily for news and updates on the latest developments of issues related to the country. This, however, does not necessarily mean that FMT is a pro-opposition news portal as perceived by its critics.
While politics remain an integral part of news reporting in Malaysia and in FMT, the portal also provides other content and news as well. Its ‘News’ segment is where followers will be able to read all the happenings and developments in the country and abroad. ‘Berita’ is the Bahasa Malaysia section in FMT catered to those who are more well-versed in the national language.
‘Carzilla’ provides one of the most comprehensive collections of information related to automotive, cars, and such.Opinions is the segment that covers editorial stories while readers also get to check out the latest world news and other affairs in the ‘World’ section.
Other prominent segments in FMT include Business, Property, Sports and Lifestyle.In a recent study carried out in 2018, it was found that there is a large group of Malay readers (more than 40%). It was also found that slightly more than 90% of the readers hold a university degree.
