2024
For the third consecutive year, the state and public media landscape in Asia has remained largely unchanged. The region boasts a high level of diversity, yet change is limited for several reasons. Firstly, the region is home to numerous authoritarian regimes that maintain strict control over their media, including China, North Korea, Laos and Vietnam, to name a few. Secondly, the region has only a few public service media outlets that have historically enjoyed genuine independence.
Overall, the region is characterized by stringent government control over state media. Our research indicates that, of the 124 state and public media institutions surveyed, only 6% maintain editorial independence, representing a 2 percentage point decline compared to the previous year. The majority of media outlets are subject to tight state control, with 74% falling into the state-controlled (SC) category in our typology.
China’s role in the region remains significant, with the government expanding its network of media outlets both domestically and internationally. As highlighted in our previous year’s analysis, the expansion of Chinese media beyond its domestic market is likely to be more significant than what our mapping has captured, according to experts on Chinese media interviewed for this report.
The past year has seen a few negative developments in Asia’s state and public media. This is an indication that government control in the media is becoming more intense, even in countries with a tradition of vibrant and independent media.
One such example is Antara, the Indonesian news agency, which was reclassified in our typology from the Independent State Managed/Owned (ISM) category to the Captured Public/State Owned (CaPu) category. In 2024, a notable shift in the agency’s coverage was observed, with a significant increase in material aligned with the government’s position. The majority of the content produced by the agency pertains to activities undertaken by the government. In June 2024, journalists in Jakarta interviewed for this report also noted that critical content about the authorities is no longer permitted at Antara. Furthermore, the agency has been identified as a conduit for Chinese state-sponsored content, reflecting a broader pattern of Chinese state media attempting to exert influence over the Indonesian media landscape.
Another noteworthy development was the apparent loss of editorial independence at Thai PBS. Over the past two years, the broadcaster has demonstrated a growing responsiveness to government pressures. For instance, the broadcaster was criticized for removing an interview with the Taiwanese foreign minister in response to pressure from the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. This incident illustrates the broadcaster’s capacity to respond to external pressures. In interviews conducted in January 2024, it was revealed that the government has recently intensified its pressure on the broadcaster, limiting its freedom to distribute certain content.
In a significant development in South Korea, the public broadcaster KBS has faced considerable pressure from the government over the past two years. Due to a series of legal provisions adopted in summer 2023 that threaten the financial stability of the broadcaster, KBS has gradually lost its editorial independence as a result of pressure exerted by the government on the broadcaster and its appointees. The individuals appointed to lead the broadcaster following these legal changes initiated changes to the station’s programming that were perceived to align with the government’s interests.