KUALA LUMPUR: Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has extended his condolences to the family of veteran journalist Fauziah Rauf, who died today.
In a Facebook post, Fahmi said her passing would be deeply felt by members of the media who had the opportunity to work alongside her.
He noted that the late Fauziah was a recipient of the Kasih@HAWANA Fund in 2023, an initiative by the Ministry of Communications through the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama).
“The Kasih@HAWANA Fund was established as a symbol of care and appreciation, supporting media practitioners facing hardships during their service, in retirement, or in times of illness.
“May her soul be blessed, her sins forgiven, and may she be placed among the righteous,” he said.
Veteran journalist and media pioneer Fauziah Rauf, 81, passed away at Selayang Hospital at around 1 am today due to a brain hemorrhage.
Fauziah was among the earliest female editors in the country and the founder of the Malaysian Entertainment Journalists and Writers Association (WHAM).
In 2017, she was honoured with the Entertainment Journalism Icon Award at the Malaysian Film Industry Journalism Awards, organised by WHAM and FINAS (National Film Development Corporation).
With over two decades of experience at Utusan Malaysia, Fauziah also broke new ground as the first woman to publish local newspapers such as Mingguan Famili, Pentas Dunia and the women’s magazine Hawa in the 1980s.
She also played a key role in bringing Malaysian artists to the Voice of Asia Music Festival in Kazakhstan throughout the 1990s, helping showcase talents such as Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, Ziana Zain, Erra Fazira, Anis Suraya and the band Slam on the international stage.
