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Go digital, Cambodian PM urges traditional media

(Photo: Thai PBS World)

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has urged traditional media to go digital and expand their online presence amid fierce competition from online-only outlets and social media players.

Mr Hun Sen made the call as part of his message to commemorate World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, The Phnom Penh Post reports.

He said traditional media had been hit hard in the digital age, as social media and global crises like COVID-19 had accelerated society’s movement towards digital services – which thrived during the pandemic – while bringing the rest of the economy to a halt at times.

This situation and its financial aspects had made it hard for traditional media outlets to survive and many of them had already closed their doors due to these problems, he said.

“Although partnership between the government and media institutions has been promoted and freedom of the press is widely open, some media institutions are still facing many problems that will require them to embrace digitalisation in order to be able to provide professional and comprehensive news that will earn the trust of the public.

“That’s the only way they can compete in a market full of digital media and social media.”

Government officials, representatives of UNESCO, foreign embassies and journalist associations, and those working in the media industry, observed World Press Freedom Day with a gathering at a hotel in Phnom Penh on 3 May.