To mark World Press Freedom Day, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), on behalf of the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN), releases its 23rd annual South Asia Press Freedom Report, entitled ‘Frontline Democracy: Media Amid Political Churn’.
The IFJ’s South Asia Press Freedom Report for 2024-2025 (SAPFR 24-25), Frontline Democracy: Media Amid Political Churn, breaks down the complexities and challenges of an industry that is endeavouring to find level footing and steady ground in democratic spaces riven by political challenges and massive economic and civil disruption from May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025. Produced with support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Norsk Journalistlag (NJ), European Commission (EC), and National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the report showcases how the ongoing collapse of revenue streams and the fact that too many media houses remain compromised and over reliant on revenue from government advertising, means that too many journalists also remain unpaid while still working.
The IFJ recorded a total of 250 media rights violations in the period, including the targeted killings of 20 journalists and media workers. This is a dramatic increased from the eight deaths reported in the 2023-24 period. Journalists across the region faced attacks, arrests, and detention with at least 70 media professionals jailed or detained, and over 190 assaulted, threatened, or harassed, often by law enforcement. At the time of publication, at least 19 journalists remain behind bars.
With critical elections occurring in India and Sri Lanka, and a violent transition of power in Bangladesh arising out of the student-led protests against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, this period was characterised by breaches of the state apparatus against independent journalists and freedom of expression. Political and religious divides have placed a target on the media sector, as journalists struggled to operate independently of partial political conditions. As democratic tents falter across South Asia, access to information and impunity for crimes against journalists witnessed setbacks, and the sustainability of free press has suffered.
Unprecedented hinderances on freedom of expression in Afghanistan, the undemocratic polarisation of news across all South Asian nations, and the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and misinformation in newsrooms are some of the many threats journalists must navigate within their sector.
Despite these challenges, encrypted messaging apps such as Telegram and Signal have seen a sharp rise in popularity across South Asia, becoming vital tools for journalists to communicate and publish stories without fear of surveillance or censorship. Two new South Asian governments offer hope, as well. The newly elected administration in Sri Lanka has vowed to address past crimes, end impunity, and repeal laws that undermine free expression, and the incumbent interim government in Bangladesh have promised massive reforms to rebuild broken state institutions. Hope now exists for the restoration of press freedom after being severely curtailed during Hasina’s iron-fisted rule of 15 years.
The SAPFR 24-25 will be formally launched on May 4 at UNESCO’s 2025 World Press Freedom Day event at Kathmandu, Nepal. The event will be attended by representatives of the IFJ and its affiliates. Individual country reports were available to download from May 3.
The IFJ said: “Democracy cannot survive without press freedom, and as independent journalism continues to be threatened across South Asia by authoritarian policies, government censorship, and the subversion of justice, journalists persevere in an environment fixed against them. South Asian media continues to operate in conditions where the truth is obscured, and fight for their fundamental right of freedom of expression. It has never been more paramount to ensure the sustainability of free press and secure comprehensive protections for journalists. This begins with raising awareness, fostering partnerships, and paying tribute to journalists who have lost their lives or their livelihoods on the frontline.”
The SAPFR 24-25 is now available online: Frontline Democracy: Media Amid Political Churn
Individual chapters are also available to download below:
https://www.facebook.com/IFJAsiaPacific