The Oddar Meanchey information department ordered a roll call of all local journalists at its office, saying if any journalist or organization failed to appear, the department would not recognize their work.
Officials described the process as routine, but some raised concerns of rising restrictions against reporters.
The department issued a statement last month giving all publishers and reporters at websites, magazines, television and newswires from January 2-31 to appear at the provincial information department office.
All journalists must bring valid media licenses, Information Ministry press cards and letters of introduction from their outlets, it said.
The statement said the purpose was to make it easy to compile basic statistics about news outlets in the province and report to the governor.
“A note to all dear sirs, madams: Publishers, television and websites located in Oddar Meanchey that do not appear and register in time at the provincial department of information will not have their jobs recognized.”
Oddar Meanchey deputy governor Dy Rado said that having all journalists come to the information department office would make it easier to manage them, whether they were in the field or working at their outlets. Officials could also make sure that all journalists were approved by the Information Ministry, he said.
“Usually, we would like to know how many journalists are working in Oddar Meanchey province so that we can control the numbers and statistics, and we want to know if they are doing it legally or not before we pass on reports,” he said.
“We will know that they applied for a permit from the ministry when they go into the field in this province.”
Soun Chumnor, 32, a journalist at the province’s Independent Voice News, said on Tuesday that he intended to visit the department office this afternoon — the last chance for registering. He said he was not concerned about the process.
However, Pen Noun, 44, a radio broadcaster in Oddar Meanchey, said journalists in the province were facing pressure and surveillance.
“Generally, doing this just adds more restrictions for us. They will have the exact numbers of journalists who come in and out of the province. It will make it easier to restrict news outlets,” Noun said.
Reporters already faced legal pressures from authorities for reporting on sensitive topics or issues that affected powerful local people, he said.
“It’s more restrictions for us. It’s not freedom anymore. It just becomes a very strong restriction to freedom of speech, freedom of information.”
Noun added that he had been asked to similarly appear at the department annually since at least 2019.
Previously, other provinces have asked journalists coming to report in their jurisdictions to register first in a series of requests criticized as restricting freedoms.
In late 2021, Kampot governor Mao Thonin ordered all journalists to inform his information department before reporting anything in the province. Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, however, at the time denied this was a requirement for journalists in Cambodia.
Voice of America reporter Sun Narin said journalists were free to go anywhere just like normal people, and there was no need to register.
“The authorities seem to want to put their nose into journalists’ jobs — want to know what they will do,” he said.
