Southeast Asian journalists flag culture of impunity

FIFTY-FIVE percent of journalists in Southeast Asia said the culture of impunity is a major concern in their countries, according to a report by international media groups.

Commemorating the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists last Nov. 2, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the South East Asia Journalist Unions (SEAJU) launched the preliminary findings of their joint study on the safety of journalists which surveyed 1,000 journalists from Southeast Asia.

The survey showed that one in two journalists believes their government’s response to impunity was deemed worsening or extremely bad. Meanwhile, 44% of journalists in Southeast Asia felt that media freedom declined in their respective countries in the past 12 months.

“The systematic failure of governments in South East Asia to act to ensure the safety and security of the media is evident from the survey findings. This research is an opportunity for action to tackle impunity and guarantee the safety of the media,” said IFJ in a statement.

The joint study also showed that the justice system (23%) is considered the top key influencer on impunity among journalists. It was followed by political leadership (19%), government (16%), and the police authority (11%).

Moreover, IFJ and SEAJU pointed out that working conditions, cyber attack, physical attack, and arrest and detention were the biggest threats to journalists in 2018.