Media freedom

Duterte Ally Now Controls ABS-CBN TV Signals

A billionaire businessman and political fundraiser linked to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has wrested control of the broadcast frequencies used by the country’s largest television network ABS-CBN before the government forced it to close, raising concern about a further erosion of media freedom.The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said in a statement on Tuesday that it had granted Manuel Villar’s company, Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS) a “provisional authority” t

27 January 2022
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China Jails Citizen Journalist For Wuhan Reports

A Chinese citizen journalist was jailed for four years Monday for her reporting from Wuhan as the COVID-19 outbreak began, her lawyer said, almost a year after details of an "unknown viral pneumonia" surfaced in the central China city.Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer who arrived at court in a wheelchair, was sentenced at a brief hearing in a Shanghai court for allegedly "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" during her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak.H

29 December 2020
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Thailand Shuts Down News Site Linked To Ex-PM

A Thai news outlet connected to exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was ordered to close Tuesday over its coverage of anti-government protests that have rocked the capital for nearly a week.Voice TV, a website partly owned by Thaksin's family, was one of four media organisations under investigation because of their reporting of the ongoing protest movement.Thousands of protesters have massed daily in the capital since last week, flouting an emergency edict prohibiting gatherings of

21 October 2020
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Al Jazeera's Malaysian Office Raided Over Documentary

Malaysian authorities raided Al Jazeera's Kuala Lumpur office Tuesday and seized computers as part of an investigation into a documentary about migrants that angered the government, drawing condemnation from the broadcaster. Police launched the probe into the Qatar-based news network's programme last month, adding to concerns about worsening media freedom in Malaysia.The documentary - "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown" - looked at the detention of undocumente

5 August 2020
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What Is Hun Sen Planning For Cambodia’s Media?

On 14 January, during his fourth annual meeting with the press, Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Hun Sen announced legal-aid support for the country’s journalists. The meeting was attended by nearly 6,000 members of the media and the press.Recent news from government press agency, Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) also quoted Cambodian Lawyers’ Council president, Ky Tech as saying that Hun Sen’s legal aid team will be offering its services to defend journalists deemed ethical.

24 January 2020
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Thai journalist warns of threat to media freedom

A Thai journalist sentenced to two years in prison for defaming the owner of a poultry farm via a tweet said Thursday the kingdom's criminal libel laws are eviscerating media freedom.A court convicted Suchanee Cloitre in December for a tweet referencing a dispute over working conditions at a chicken farm owned by the Thammakaset company.The farm had been at the centre of a labour dispute by Myanmar workers complaining of punishing working hours and conditions.Thailand's Supreme Cour

10 January 2020
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Cambodia’s Hun Sen urges media to tell the truth

Last week, in a letter to the Cambodian Editor Forum, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen wrote a statement which seems to counter his alleged actions in the lead up to the country’s controversial July 2018 general election: “News media should dare to speak the truth.”Hun Sen, however, has been accused of not only jailing his opponents – making the July election a supposed farce – but in May 2018, his administration had also purportedly clamped down on media freedom. In that mo

12 December 2019
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Can Lao’s media survive in today’s world?

Lao recently held an event where managers of its mass media and publishing generally agreed that the country’s media and the publications they produce needed to aspire to self-development. They said this was so they are better equipped to fulfil their duty to promote national protection and development.In a socialist state such as Lao, the managers’ general assessment makes perfect sense.

20 August 2019
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Fake news from Cambodia’s government?

Cambodia’s Information Ministry recently warned that it would revoke the licenses of print and online media outlets which distribute fake news that could endanger national security.Phos Sovann, director-general of General Department of Information and Broadcasting, said in a Facebook video post that the ministry will strictly implement laws against fake news, and come down hard on outlets which violate the terms of the licenses or are not registered with the ministry.“All websites operating i

19 August 2019
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Are governments crying wolf?

Towards the end of last month, on 21 June, the government of Myanmar ordered mobile phone operators in the country to shut down all Internet data across at least eight townships in Rakhine and one in neighbouring Chin state.

1 July 2019
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