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.
The Agriculture Ministry has accused VOD of “perhaps maliciously” distorting a ministry press release, saying the publication could be perceived as having a “politically driven agenda.”
New reports detail online violence, particularly targeting female journalists, globally, as well as increasing poverty in Cambodia due to the Covid-19 pandemic and economic slowdown.
A journalist in Svay Rieng province has filed a complaint against the Bavet City police chief, saying the officer ordered journalists to delete a live video about a traffic accident before threatening to handcuff them and then deleting the video himself.
Media advocacy organizations decried officials’ unexplained decision to ban reporters from news outlets VOD and VOA from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s press conference following the Asean Summit on Sunday.
Two news organizations announced a proposal to establish an independent “Cambodia Media Council” that could judge complaints around journalism ethics and conduct.
A government spokesman has said that journalists should report to the provincial information department when frequently reporting in a jurisdiction, a suggestion rejected by an independent-media advocate.
Hundreds of personnel from the elite Bodyguard Unit have garrisoned the northeast corner of Phnom Tamao forest, which was stripped clean in 10 days, with soldiers now leading reforestation efforts ordered by the prime minister.
Cambodia’s media “is in a perilous state,” the U.N. said in a research report, noting pressure through the criminal justice system and harassment against women. Court questioning against Boeng Tamok residents being sued by district security has been delayed.
Commemorating press freedom, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said what mattered was that Cambodian journalists aren’t swayed from the truth — and that they could do so even while accepting gifts of cash.
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