Utusan Malaysia controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2013
“What else do the Chinese want?” election article
Following the 2013 general election, Utusan published a racially framed article that attributed the governing coalition’s electoral setback to Chinese Malaysian voters and questioned their political demands. The article drew widespread condemnation and led to boycott calls from opposition-led state governments and agencies.
2011
Hata Wahari dispute
Senior journalist and National Union of Journalists president Hata Wahari was suspended and later dismissed after criticizing management and the newspaper’s reporting. His subsequent protest outside the headquarters became a public symbol of internal dissent over editorial standards.
Publication of fabricated missionary conversion report
Utusan published an inaccurate report about an elderly Catholic missionary allegedly converting to Islam after a coma. The claim originated with a fictional satirical story, and the newspaper later apologized.