Press Freedom

By Lynette Lee Corporal 

BANGKOK, Sep 19 (Asia Media Forum) - These are dark days, indeed, for Malaysia’s bloggers. In the last seven days, authorities have picked up two bloggers, a journalist, and a ranking parliamentarian under the country’s draconian national security laws.

By Baradan Kuppusamy

KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 3 (IPS) - Abandoning a decade-old promise to maintain Internet freedom, the government has closed down the popular and controversial ‘Malaysia Today’ web portal, known for consistently exposing the misdeeds of officialdom and the failings of individual leaders.

By Lynette Lee Corporal

BANGKOK, Aug 28 (Asia Media Forum) - Advocates of media reform in Thailand have a long road ahead in their quest for democratisation of the Fourth Estate. Libel suits, self-censorship, profit-oriented mass media, cyber 'Big Brother' — these are just some of the challenges that the media face these days.

By Baradan Kuppusamy

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (IPS) - A series of tough measures in recent weeks has raised fears of a major crackdown against tolerance and dissent as rival political forces battle for state power in a society made fragile by economic uncertainties and decades of autocratic rule.

By Lynette Lee Corporal

BANGKOK, Aug 11 (IPS) - Say goodbye to the usual slogan-shouting and banner-carrying protest actions, because one does not even have to be anywhere near China to push a mix of causes -- from Tibet and Burma to Darfur. Online creativity is the name of the game.

By Stephen de Tarczynski

MELBOURNE, Aug 6 (IPS) - An electronic paper trail indicates that one of Australia’s leading television networks may be involved in dissuading foreign media in China against covering "forbidden" topics.

Analysis by Shailendra Singh

SUVA, Jul 28 (IPS) - Since independence in 1970, this Pacific Island nation has had a succession of elected and unelected prime ministers. Both sets of leaders have tried to muzzle what they see as errant, if not dangerous, media.

By Milind Kokje*

Mention 'independent media' and we immediately think of monarchs, political dictators, uniformed heads of state, military junta and similar entities as the main obstacles for media independence. There may be some honourable exceptions, but in general, our past experiences tell us how these types of political systems are anathema to independence in general, and independent media in particular.