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 report in its chapter on Sri Lanka says: The adoption of technology and the rise of digital media start-ups has democratised the media space but also brought in its wake ethical dilemmas and questions on professionalism. During the period under review, there were several instances when court notified digital platforms to exercise caution and to desist from spreading falsehoods or inciting violence…The digitisation of media has thrown up its own challenges. Driven by immediacy, audience engagement and reach, the information landscape has become further blurred, demanding more concerted efforts by fact-checking organisations. Professionalism of many digital media platforms have given rise to serious concerns and triggered action by authorities, including several arrests. In the rush to reach wider audiences instantly, some channels have become vehicles driving disinformation and hate, promoters of toxic masculinity, gendered attacks and privacy violations. This has also fuelled arguments in support of Online Safety Act and other repressive laws. Meanwhile, awareness creation programmes for journalists on identifying and dealing with misleading content were carried out, a dire need in a country that lacks sufficient media literacy.”

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 Sunday (04) 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.”