Kambol (Phnom Penh), 20/11/2007. Members of the press gather on the occasion of the first hearing at the tribunal in charge of the Khmer Rouge trials
© John Vink / Magnum
“Journalists being pressurised? I don't think there is any pressure. I can talk about any topic, criticise... I have never had any problems!” Is it that Soy Sopheap, the star presenter of the television channel CTN [see correction]*, has its memory going down the drain or does he happen to suffer from a strange illness diagnosed as frequent and predominant among journalists, namely self-censorship, by the NGO Licadho, promoting the defence of human rights, in its 2008 report on the media in Cambodia? After having mentioned on air in 2006 the results of a highly critical report of the Economic Institute of Cambodia about corruption in the kingdom which was not welcomed with open arms by the head of government, the journalist was punished and disappeared from the small screen for several weeks. Cambodia's news media are often described as one of the freest in the region, with “no official censorship and a flourishing press"- but what lies behind the scenes?
A freedom of press in jeopardy?
Licadho's detailed report, Reading Between the Lines: How Politics, Money & Fear Control Cambodia's Media was published on May 2nd on the occasion of the 18th World Press Freedom Day and describes how the media are influenced by political allegiances, a situation which almost applies to all media in Cambodia.
Thereby, the media companies' political line of conduct, suggested by their directors, motivates their editorial policy and, as a consequence, splits the local media into two groups: pro- and anti-government. This lack of neutrality is then exacerbated by the fact that the media iare not managed like a lasting and steady companies. But the kingdom does not know such thing as a 'tradition of free and independent media', the NGO said.
Pen Samitthy, president of the Club of Cambodian Journalists , one out of fifteen other official press associations, asserted that “journalists do not claim to be able to change society with a single article. They do not use self-censorship and work slowly but surely”.
The fear of threats
Um Sarin, president of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ) and reporter for Radio Free Asia (RFA) fears that journalists will keep being threatened. “Among the latest cases, let's mention this fellow RFA journalist based in the province of Battambang , who got himself exposed to numerous intimidatory measures after carrying out an investigation on deforestation and illegal wood trafficking in Cambodia. To start with, he found last April several bullet holes on the walls of his house. [...] The freedom of press remains limited and self-censorship is an automatic reaction when it comes to cases involving the people in power.
In a Licadho survey carried out in 2007 among 150 journalists, 65% admitted they were afraid of being physically attacked, while 62% feared legal action. Perhaps more tellingly, 54% said they had been threatened because of their work.
Bribery? A question of definition
For Soy Sopheap, the CTN journalist [see correction]*, accepting what is commonly called in journalism slang an 'envelope' cannot be considered as an act of bribery. “Let us take the example of a NGO organising a seminar. It will bear the cost of participants coming from abroad. It is then normal that it also defrays the expenses of journalists.”
Pen Samitthy, the editor-in-chief of Rasmei Kampuchea, also moderated the accusations of bribery. “Up to the present day, I have never heard of journalists receiving thousands of dollars. The envelopes are used to motivate the work of reporters and equate more with cost reimbursements. We cannot say that this practice undermines the freedom of press.”
In the Licadho poll, the journalists who were questioned almost knew nothing about this situation and only 13% of them admitted having received a bribe while one third admitted having accepted some money or presents in exchange for their participation in a press conference. A Cambodian journalist's average monthly salary is set between 50 and 200 dollars. The report stressed that “87% of those surveyed said their monthly salary was insufficient to support themselves and their families.
Improvement needed in the legislative arsenal
The 1995 Press Law stipulates that anyone who has been defamed by the media can claim compensation on the civil level in front of a court of justice. Licadho, together with representatives of local media companies, deplored the fact that civil parties mostly resort to taking the case to the penal level, which often includes offences of defamation, false information and incitement. The NGO concluded that the Press Law's explicit proviso that “no person shall be arrested or subject to criminal charges as the result of the expression of opinions” had been violated repeatedly.
The 2006 decriminalisation of defamation and libel was welcomed with enthusiasm by journalists, but the latter still face jail on alternative criminal charges of disinformation and incitement, or if they fail to pay off the fines they received.
Along with its request for the abolition of those crimes in the penal code, Licadho also called for the suppression of the Article 12 of the Press Law relating to national security and political stability, which according to the NGO is often misconstrued.
Access to information
The Licadho stressed in its report that in Cambodia, “there is very little sense of a responsibility to inform the media and the wider public, as might be expected in a democracy.” To sum up the situation, an editor-in-chief, questioned by the organisation, said: “We benefit from a certain freedom of press but the government is still hiding information”.
And indeed- the NGO quoted as an example the fact that 75% of the surveyed journalists find it “difficult”, or “very difficult” to access information from court officials. This explains why they massively resort to the widespread “anonymous sources”. The sources that are mostly used by the respondents in order to backup a story are firstly victims (76%), then NGOs (53%) and finally witnesses (42%). Pen Samitthy revealed that journalists were going to “mention to the government the idea of creating networks of spokespersons so that the official information gets to the inhabitants with some clarity”.
A law about the freedom of information is currently being drafted, with the support of an international donor. The point is now to know whether this text will improve access to governmental information... or if, on the contrary, its effect will be radically different from what was expected.
A lack of professionalism amongst journalists
Um Sarin, from the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists conceded that “some journalists extort money from those who do not wish to see certain cases brought to light or wish to read positive article about themselves. These journalists are still many, ill-trained or not trained at all”.
In the printed press, political opinions are expressed aplenty with many groundless accusations flying about. Pro-government articles which exclude different viewpoints are numerous. Licadho stressed that this resembled propaganda and gutter press. The journalists who were polled by Licadho complained about the mediocrity of Cambodian newspapers, riddled with plagiarism and factual errors, political preconceived ideas or unknown sources.
However, according to Licadho, newspapers' editorial standards have improved since the 1990s. But, there is “still room for improvement”. If the government allows the existence of such a number of titles, this is because their impact on people is limited due to the absence of distributing networks in the country and the high rate of illiteracy. As for the best spread media, i.e. television, it is tightly controlled by the government and its opponents' license applications are constantly rejected.
* CORRECTION : In the first version of this article, Soy Sopheap was described as CTN's “star presenter” and as “the Prime Minister's councillor”. Soy Sopheap rejected this description and insisted on precising that he only exercises the professions of “presenter for CTN and journalist for the weekly newspaper Dam Ampil”, and under no circumstances that of councillor of the Prime Minister.
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By Doris
By John Vink
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