The 2025 Asia Media Summit (AMS) is being held in Cambodia this week.
The annual international media conference is the AIBD’s flagship event, with workshops and conference sessions over three days in Siem Reap. It is in its 20th year and this year has delegates from 30 countries.
AIBD Director and CEO Philomena Gnanapragaasam identified fighting disinformation and introducing new technology as two important issues for broadcasters. “One of the challenges is the widespread dissemination of fake news. We know how dangerous misinformation can be, it erodes public trust,” she said.
Cambodia’s Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra sounded the gong to officially open the conference.
In the keynote address, the Minister said digital media has “revolutionised democracies,” but has also “fuelled disinformation,” which threatens to erode good journalism. “No country can face this alone,” he said.
Cambodia has spent the past 20 years progressing through its digital media revolution through a variety of platforms. The government is “actively supporting media” and “actively collaborates with a variety of journalism schools” to strengthen journalism.
“Accurate and timely information access is one of the foundations of a democratic society,” he said. “But, as we digitise, we must also protect our citizens from digital harassment.”
Cambodia has recently implemented a ‘Say No to Fake News’ campaign and is actively conducting media literacy campaigns, but combatting fake news is also the job of journalists and citizens, it is not something that governments can do on their own.
The Minister “reconfirmed” his government’s “commitment to journalism,” based in shared truth, empowering youth and encouraging Cambodians to become more engaged citizens.
Cambodia was a communist state under the rule of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. The country became a constitutional monarchy in 1993 with a king as head of state, a prime minister as head of government, and a parliamentary style of government.