The media must be disciplined and not make things difficult for the government, said Information Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir today.

He said the government had no intention of interfering with the freedom of the media but at the same time the latter should not act in such a way that could cause problems to the extent of eliciting complaints from the public.

"Don't make things difficult for the government. We want the media to be free. If they can discipline themselves, there's no problem," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

In view of this, he said owners of private television stations must keep track of the movies and advertisements screened by their stations.

Follow the guidelines

He said this applied not only to satellite channel providers Astro but also the owners of other private television stations like TV3 and NTV7 who must know what is screened by their stations daily.

"They know what's right and wrong ... don't leave it to subordinates ... the supremos must see for themselves.

"I hope that whatever's wrong is stopped," he told reporters when asked to comment on his advice to Astro to stop screening violent and obscene films.

He said this was because the owners of Astro and other private television stations knew the guidelines agreed upon with the government when their broadcasting licences were issued.

"I urge them to follow (the guidelines)," he added.

On the increase in Astro subscription rates, he said he would study the agreement on the issuance of licence to Astro.

The minister had recently said that Astro, which is the country's sole satellite television providers, were showcasing uncensored movies and 100 percent foreign advertisements.