The Asia Democracy Network (ADN) recently launched an initiative to advocate for media space advancement. Crucial to this initiative is the process of mapping out the dire press freedom and democracy issues in Southeast Asia to find appropriate solutions in addressing them. Also, it is the hope of this initiative to find potential collaborative efforts among key stakeholders, at the national and regional levels, to work together to create wider and more vibrant space for press freedom.
To achieve the above goals, ADN collaborated with key partners in five Southeast Asian countries, namely: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Consultations were carried out among stakeholders to better understand each country involved in this analysis and the current press freedom issues they are facing.
However, due to the global pandemic that almost paralyzed the globe, activities had to adapt to “new normal” practices. As such, consultations for each of these countries were held virtually, through various online platforms most suitable for participating individuals and organizations, from October 2020 to March 2021.
Participants to the consultation meetings consisted of journalists, government representatives, human rights advocates, academicians, members of press councils, human rights organizations, and representatives from national human rights commissions. While policy makers representing governments and even members of political opposition were invited, none were able to attend due to their busy schedules.
This report presents the state of media freedom in five countries in Southeast Asia. Among the highlighted issues were with regards to certain national legislations that limit the space of media freedom, and the worrying cases of violence against journalists.
A set of recommendations are also enumerated in each country report based on the consultation with key stakeholders, it also enumerates ADN’s recommendations to address the challenges from a regional perspective. This report aspires to help in the efforts of creating a wider space for media freedom not only in the five countries selected in this study but also in the region and globally.
2021-ADN_StateofMediaFreedomSEA-Report_FINAL