Reporter complians of ‘beating’

Media Experts Worry About Declining Freedom

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer, Washington, DC Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Media experts say freedom of expression is on the decline in Cambodia, especially as journalists have recently been detained under criminal disinformation.

 Hang Chakra, the publisher of Khmer Mchas Srok newspaper who was detained in 2010, told “Hello VOA” Thursday the paper had been doing well until he was held under criminal disinformation and defamation charges.

“That made me very disappointed, but now I continue with my work and reform that is balanced,” he said. He has again started publishing his paper, which is supportive of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, about a month ago, following more than a year’s absence.

Moeun Chhean Nariddh, director of the Cambodia Institute for Media Studies, who was also a guest on “Hello VOA” Thursday, said journalists should not be punished under criminal laws.

“Criminal punishment with imprisonment for a journalist is not equal to the infraction,” he said. “We are not killers murdering someone, and we aren’t robbers.”

Such charges should not carry criminal jail time, he said, especially under a strong press law.

Cambodia is currently ranked as “not free” by the US-based Freedom House, and is ranked 141 of 196 countries by the organization.

Niveath, who is a long time journalist, was hit by a car while leaving his house in Phnom Penh on his way to his radio station on the early morning of Monday, March 28. The impact threw him off his motorbike and Niveath smashed his head against the tarmac. He died instantly on the spot, with the cause of this accident still questionable.

Niveath’s death is a great loss for the Cambodian media. Niveath has contributed a great deal to the Cambodian journalism during his 15 years’ work in the media profession.

Niveath, 40, graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in the mid-1990s and was sent to Kratie province to take his new job as a teacher.

However, with his love for journalism he moved back to Phnom Penh shortly after and started a new job at the National Radio before joining Radio FM88, which was run by former Information Minister Ieng Mouly.

It was the year 2002 and Niveath saw his needs to improve his professional skills. He attended a one-year certificate course in journalism at the Cambodia Communication Institute, where I had taught journalistic skills for eight years. As he completed his studies, Niveath switched his job to Beehive Radio FM105, run by outspoken journalist Mam Sonando.

However, Niveath’s job with the Beehive Radio didn’t last long. He quit his job again when the station moved out of town.

As his last career before his death, Niveath got a job with the Golden Leaf Radio FM92.21 during the last year or two.

Niveath has fulfilled all the three roles of the media to inform, to educate and to entertain the public during a decade and a half working in the media field.

Niveath has made numerous friends within the Cambodian media and has left behind countless memories for all of us. We miss him and will remember him as a good friend and colleague.

May his soul rest in peace and be reborn in a happy world!

Moeun Chhean Nariddh

Director Cambodia Institute for Media Studies

Phnom Penh

“Frank Talks, Self Regulations” Key to Promote Media Ethics

by Moeun Chhean Nariddh

s media professionals, we agree that professionalism is our best protection, particularly against legal action for criminal defamation and disinformation. And we acknowledge that media professionals need to regulate ourselves if we don’t want to be regulated by the government.

 This was what a group of Cambodian editors and senior journalists intended to do when they recently established the Cambodian Journalists’ Council for Ethics, or CJCE, with members from different press associations, academic institutions and media NGOs. (more…)

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Media Should Balance Nationalism With Professionalism

By Moeun Chhean Nariddh

The Cambodia Daily, Tuesday, July 15, 2008

From street vendors to university students, civil society groups, government officials and politicians, they have one thing in common: national pride over the temple successful listing.

However, probably few people have noticed the role the Cambodian media have played in promoting nationalism and the campaigning for international recognition of Preah Vihear temple as a world patrimony. (more…)

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The Phnom Penh Post

4-17 April, 2008

Khmer Media’s Unity Better, Professionalism Improving

t’s been interesting to read a series of Khmer-language media reviews by a Cambodian scholar over the last few issues in the Phnom Penh Post.

While this analysis has raised a concern over the politics and ethical issue of the Khmer press, many other significant improvements of the Khmer media should be acknowledged.

First of all, we can say that the Khmer-language media in general have become much more professional in their news coverage during the past few years since the last general elections in 2003. (more…)

Journalists Charged with “Theft” after Taking Pictures of Illegal Farm

        On 17 November 2007, three journalists from the “Voice of Peace” newspaper in Kampong Thom province were arrested for “theft” after they took pictures of an illegal farm rearing snakehead fish in the district of Kampong Svay, Kampong Thom province, bordering Tonle Sap (Great Lake).

        Thorng Channa, 45, Lim Thau, 35, and Pen Rithy, 32, were out on bail the same day, thanks to the intervention of a senior Information Ministry official, according to the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ), a SEAPA partner. (more…)

Cambodian Journalists Face New Challenge at National Assembly

by Moeun Chhean Nariddh

Cambodian journalists who report on the parliamentary meetings have complained about the lack of proper seating for reporters at the new National Assembly building.

“They spent a lot of money for the building, but they could not afford to pay for chairs,” Chum Sophal, deputy editor-in-chief for Samne Thmey newspaper, was quoted by the Cambodia Daily on October 23.

Cambodian People Party’s lawmaker Cheam Yeap, who is in charge of the construction of the $29 million-dollar National Assembly, told the Cambodia Daily that the Assembly was working to complete an air-conditioned press room for journalists who could spend up to 20 hours per week following the Assembly debates. (more…)

Cambodian journalists urged to join fight against corruption

Phnom Penh – Cambodia’s most powerful journalism organisation has weighed into the battle against the country’s endemic corruption, urging journalists to expose graft and announcing large cash prizes in a statement published Tuesday. Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ) president Pen Samitthy published details of the competition in the country’s largest selling Khmer-language daily, Reasmey Kampuchea. Samitthy is also the editor-in-chief of that newspaper.

“To effectively fight against corruption, we need the support of the media,” Samitty wrote in his prologue. “Please, all journalists, expose corruption. We must all respond, not just the government.” (more…)