Filipino journalists in Metro Manila held a candle-lighting ceremony to denounce media killings and other attacks against the press. Photo from the Facebook post of Lito Ocampo. Used with permission
Media groups and human rights advocates across Southeast Asia marked World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) by highlighting the threats t0 free speech in their respective countries.
This year’s WPFD theme, “Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media,” highlighted the opportunities and challenges posed by new digital technologies on how journalists fulfill their work in a changing media landscape.
Protecting Cambodia’s independent media
In Cambodia, more than 10 civil society organizations (CSOs) and networks gathered 100 participants in a forum where various stakeholders discussed the country’s state of media freedom.
They cited the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association's 2024 report which documented 41 cases of harassment involving at least 64 journalists. The report also noted that three media licenses were revoked over the past year.
In a joint statement, CSOs warned that the “ongoing erosion of a free press not only stifles our voices and the voices of the Cambodian people but also undermines the very essence of our democracy.” They issued a list of demands to the government, including the protection of independent media. Their statement read:
Ensure a free, safe, and secure environment — both online and offline — for journalists and media outlets to carry out their work without restriction or fear.
End all forms of harassment against media outlets and journalists reporting on issues of public interest — such as land rights, access to natural resources, and government accountability — which are often unjustly labeled as ‘sensitive.’
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights uploaded a video featuring journalist Sam Oudom who urged authorities to stop harassing independent journalists and to listen to the voices of ordinary citizens.
Malaysia: AI and “authoritarian media control”
In Malaysia, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) looked into the impact of AI on the local media but it also pointed out the dangerous legacy of “authoritarian media control.”
When economic expediency leads to AI being used as a substitute rather than a support for human-driven journalism, the public suffers the loss of contextual, ground-level reporting essential for participatory democracy.
Nevertheless, AI is not the only root of the problems plaguing Malaysia’s media landscape. It lies in decades of authoritarian media control, opaque ownership structures, and legal harassment and intimidation.
CIJ pressed for the review and overhaul of laws that are often weaponized against critics and critical journalists such as Sedition Act 1948, Section 233 of the amended Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and the recently passed Online Safety Act 2024.
CIJ expressed hope that the passage of the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) Bill “marks a potential turning point” in improving the media situation.
WPFD 2025 is a call to action. Malaysia must move beyond symbolic improvements and invest in real, structural change. AI must be harnessed ethically, not as a cost-cutting replacement, but as a tool that complements and elevates public interest journalism. The MMC must be empowered to protect media freedom, and journalists must be supported, not silenced.
In a statement, Vilasini Vijandran, the interim executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia, criticized the incumbent Madani government for reneging on its pledge to reverse the censorship of artists and journalists.
Amnesty International Malaysia warns of growing authoritarianism and increasing repression in the country.
“The Madani government’s actions in 2024 have not only failed to reverse long-standing restrictions on free speech but have actively escalated threats to such rights.”
— BFM News (@NewsBFM) April 29, 2025
Philippines: An “enduring culture of impunity”
In the Philippines, the number of media killings has decreased, but the attacks against journalists have worsened based on the monitoring of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). In a recent report, they recorded 184 press freedom incidents during the first three years of the incumbent Marcos administration. This represented an increase from the 128 cases during the first half of the previous government.
CMFR asserted that “media freedom and its full practice must proceed in an environment free of the fear of reprisal.” With regard to the reduced number of media killings under the Marcos presidency, it stated that the low rate of conviction and the low number of cases taken to court “are clear signals of the enduring culture of impunity.”
The recent killing of an 89-year-old journalist and publisher was flagged by media watchdogs including the Committee to Protect Journalists as a cause for concern.
The fatal shooting of Juan Dayang, one of the Philippines’ most prominent news publishers, shows that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government hasn’t done enough to stop the killers of journalists. Authorities must leave no stone unturned in identifying his killers, uncovering their motive, and bringing them to justice.
NUJP added that, “the recent incidents show that our struggle for press freedom, media safety, and our sector’s job security and economic rights continues.” CMFR‘s statement summed up the role of media in society: “Without a free and fearless press, democracy dies in silence.”
Indonesia: Attacks on the student press
In Indonesia, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) recorded 38 cases of violence against journalists in the first five months of the year, more than half of the 73 incidents reported in 2024.
In an interview with The Jakarta Post, AJI secretary-general Bayu Wardhana shared the difficulties journalists often encounter in their work in Indonesia.
The media are often obstructed when seeking information, directed to cover only what those in power want, banned from covering violent acts of law enforcement when dispersing protesters and pushed to act as a public relations tool for the government.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Student Press Association (PPMI) revealed that from 2013 to 2021, there were 331 cases of violence against the student press perpetrated by campus and local authorities.
AJI chairperson Nani Afrida said in a seminar sponsored by PPMI that contrary to the report of the Press Council, “the reality on the ground shows a gloomier picture.” Nany added that the student press also faced constant attacks.
The future challenges are becoming more complex. On one hand, we face harmful content, hoaxes, disinformation, misinformation, hate speech, and others, but on the other hand, student press also becomes the target of censorship, institutional pressure, and even digital attacks.
