BERITA
 The "guitar pick" logo used since 2021 | |
 The "static" logo used since 2018 | |
| Industry | Mass media |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2 June 2016 as BERNAMA |
| Founder | Administration of MYS |
| Defunct | 19 October 2024 |
| Headquarters | BERITA KL HQ, Jalan Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Area served |
Malaysia |
Key people |
|
| Services |
|
| Website |
www |
BERITA (Malay for 'News') was a news agency of the MYS Administration and the Government of Malaysia. It is an autonomous body under the administration. It was formed on 2 June 2016 as BERNAMA named and modelled of the real-life agency with the same name. On 18 August 2018, it was then renamed to BERITA. BERITA normally reports news and information through Twitter and occasionally live-broadcasts on YouTube.
Following the announcement by the Administration to retire BERITA[1], BERITA formally ceased operations at midnight on the 19th of October, 2024.[2]
History
Birth of BERNAMA and Coverage of the First Sarawakian War
BERITA, then BERNAMA first started posting news from the First Sarawakian War on 3 June 2016[3]. It then acted as a 'public relations' division of the MYS group itself with noticeable replies from then group admins of the account with individuals.[citation needed] BERNAMA also held and made public opinion polls on current affairs.
Coverage of the First Communist Insurgency
BERNAMA covered the first communist insurgency crisis in Kuala Lumpur in 2017. They described the insurgents as 'communist terrorists'.[4]
Coverage of the New Zealand Crisis
BERNAMA reported the rebel insurgency crisis in New Zealand and the subsequent deployment of Malaysian troops after the kidnapping of the (unknown) crown prince of Malaysia and his subsequent hostage situation[5].
Rebrand to BERITA, Merdeka and 6th General Elections coverage
BERNAMA rebranded to BERITA on 18 August 2018.[6] BERITA also broadcasted the first independence day parade broadcast on 31 August 2018. BERITA would then broadcast the first ever election night broadcast to the nation the next day on 1 September 2018 titled "Malaysia's Mandate".
Transition to Community Management
BERITA, along with other semi-governmental agencies transitioned onto more community-aligned management in mid 2020.[citation needed] The first director of the agency, ko1ve overtook the agency's management and operations from the administration. This also marked the first time BERITA conducted recruitment cycles.[8]
Goverance and coporate structure
BERITA is an agency nationalised by the Administration of MYS hence being independent from government intervention. The agency itself is governed by the Board of Directors which consists of the director and the other 5 heads of departments.
Board of directors
| Name | Position | In office since |
|---|---|---|
| Itz_Philpz | Director, head of Journalism Department | January 2022 |
Directors
| Name | Term | |
|---|---|---|
| ko1ve | 2020 | 26 September 2020 |
| Shermanyap1234 | 26 September 2020 | January 2022 |
| Itz_Philpz | January 2022 | April 2024 |
| yaoshiiscool | April 2024 | October 2024 |
Services
News
BERITA's main service is updates of news and information through their Twitter account. It also acted as a form of newswire for other news companies. Since 2016, BERITA have been posting news and updates through Twitter. In 2020, #berita (a Discord channel) was launched in the main MYS community server allowing more comprehensive news updates without Twitter.
BERITA Online
In 2021, BERITA launched BERITA Online, a website for longer articles for readers preferring longer articles. It also served its function in public outreach, with pages explaining their recruitment process after the company experienced a spike of public interest.
Broadcasting
BERITA started the first series of broadcasts since 2018 with the first independence day parade and 6th General Elections broadcast. Though they were directed by members of the Administration, this kickstarted the broadcasting and mass media industry in Malaysia. After the transition to community management in 2020, BERITA would continue its broadcasting services with regular election night broadcasts and community events. In 2021, former director Shermanyap1234 formed BERITA Broadcasting, a provisional branch in charge of the broadcasts within the company along with BERITA Productions, who arrange and plan programmes.
Television
In 2020, the Hornbill Interactive team introduced MYSTV, a short lived live television-like system in ROBLOX. It was first placed in Kuala Lumpur (2.9) for public viewing, then onto a model for everyone. BERITA played a role in the news programme, Channel One.
Others
BERITA also involved in multiple other services such as BERITA Photography, another provisional branch focused on photography and stock image photography. BERITA was also involved in the education of journalism through their training program.
Logos and symbols
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BERITA's first typographical logo used from August to November 2018. -
BERITA's second typographical logo used since then, normally called the "static" logo. -
The "guitar pick" logo used in graphics since 2021.