Covid-19 has eroded democracy and respect for human rights in large parts of Asia with strongmen governments using the pandemic to justify a crackdown that was already well underway.

In the Asia Rights Repressed Journalism Series, six media outlets from Nepal, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Cambodia and the Philippines document how Covid is being used to repress political, social and economic rights, affecting in particular, the most vulnerable.

Under pressure from new surveillance laws, laws against assembly and lockdown restrictions, Asia’s independent media and citizens must navigate a tightening operational space while dealing with the economic fallout of the crisis and the risk of being punished for speaking out about the pandemic. The stories have been published in their country of origin.

  • Leaving journalists out of the story

    Frontier Myanmar is an unbiased voice in transitional Myanmar publishing online stories in both English and Burmese, focusing on current affairs and business, featuring long-form and investigative articles, insights and analysis.By Sonny Swe, CEO of independent media Frontier MyanmarWhen skyrocketing Covid-19 cases prompted health authorities to place Yangon under strict stay-at-home orders on 20 September, journalists and

  • New bills pushed through during pandemic a setback for women’s and workers’ rights

    Magdalene is an online publication that offers fresh perspectives beyond the typical gender and cultural confines who channel the voices of feminists By Tabayyun Pasinringi, Magdalene From the much-criticised Omnibus Bill on Job Creation to the regressive Family Resilience Bill to an increased rein on government critics online, the pandemic has given cause for concern when

  • Philippines: Podcast steers clear of coronavirus hysteria

    Take a deep breath and listen to Covid-19 facts! “With a podcast the engagement is much more personal. It’s a warmer medium. It sets us apart from the trolling culture, it insulates us from the paranoia, the anger and the overall culture of fake news.”  Roby Alampay CEO AND HOST, PUMAPODCAST THE COVID DIARIES As

  • Nowhere to go: Broken promises by authorities during Covid trap Nepali migrants between a rock and a hard place

    As this video by Herne Katha shows, the pandemic has further exposed the apathy and ineptitude of political leaders on either side of their lives and only sharpened the precarious edge on which millions of Nepali lives teeter. Either way they go, they’re trapped. Please accept marketing cookies to see this video. “Beyond the border” The story

  • Woman in Pakistan getting her temperature checked on her forehead

    Trolls in Pakistan: A woman journalist is harassed online

    Freedom Network, an IMS partner in Pakistan, says that over the past decade not a single killer of a journalist has been convicted, with the CPJ highlighting “corruption, weak institutions, and a lack of political will” as reasons for the ongoing impunity. In late 2020, the High Court in Sindh acquitted the four men who

  • Policeman stops a line of people on motorcycles at a checkpoint in the Philippines

    Listen up: Podcasts about Filipinos being silenced

    “We had a regular news podcast, but it was very challenging because under lockdown we had no access to our studio, and it was unsafe for us to report, on our own, from the field,” COO of PumaPodcast Carl Javier accounted during the UNESCO World Press Freedom Conference 2020. So, taking their cue from PumaPodcast’s

  • A woman in Cambodia protesting

    “Covid is just being used as excuse to clamp down on oppositionists”

    By Mech Dara, VOD Yim Sareth’s crime was posting a photo of himself online wearing a mask, says his wife, Ouk Chanthy. That was in late March, as Covid-19 case numbers grew in the country and the government rounded up dozens of social media users for allegedly spreading “fake news” about the virus. Many were released, but

A PANDEMIC OF REPRESSION

Since the start of the pandemic, journalists across the continent have increasingly come under attack for doing their job covering Covid-19 and rights violations during the pandemic and experiencing harassment.

Looking ahead, IMS envisages that the genre will remain a top priority for global distribution platforms and their audiences, which will provide unprecedented potential in reaching new audiences with vital stories from around the world. Supporting local documentary film environments in challenged countries is an effective tool to broaden the content of the media and thus to generate alternative voices and give audiences access to more sources of information. Furthermore, it will ensure that filmmakers can operate under the most challenging of circumstances. Empowering local documentary film environments will have an immediately noticeable effect for broad audiences, for the media industry, for journalism and for a lively society.

In Cambodia, the Government upholds a strict lockdown and is arresting people for spreading “fake news” related to the Covid-19 pandemic. During 2020, 51 people have been warned or arrested by authorities for spreading fake news.

The Philippines’ emergency law has served as a tool for President Rodrigo Duterte to consolidate his power and intimidate critics. A last-minute addition to the law punishes the spread of “false information” with a fine of 1 million pesos ($19,600) and up to two months in prison.

With online trolling exploding in Pakistan since the start of the lockdown, journalists – especially women – are experiencing more cases of abuse and harassment. On August 12, 20 Pakistani women journalists issued a statement denouncing a cyber-harassment campaign against them by government

EXPLORE THE STORIES

Independent journalists from across the continent report on repression and human rights violations through podcasts, video stories, blog posts and articles.

Nowhere to go: Broken promises by authorities during Covid trap Nepali migrants between a rock and a hard place

Nowhere to go: Broken promises by authorities during Covid trap Nepali migrants between a rock and a hard place

As this video by Herne Katha shows, the pandemic has further exposed the apathy and ineptitude of political leaders on either side of their lives and only sharpened the precarious edge on which millions of Nepali lives teeter. Either way they go, they’re trapped. Please accept marketing cookies to see this video. “Beyond the border” The story

Read more
Leaving journalists out of the story

Leaving journalists out of the story

Frontier Myanmar is an unbiased voice in transitional Myanmar publishing online stories in both English and Burmese, focusing on current affairs and business, featuring long-form and investigative articles, insights and analysis. By Sonny Swe, CEO of independent media Frontier Myanmar When skyrocketing Covid-19 cases prompted health authorities to place Yangon under strict stay-at-home orders on 20 September,

Read more
Philippines: Podcast steers clear of coronavirus hysteria

Philippines: Podcast steers clear of coronavirus hysteria

Take a deep breath and listen to Covid-19 facts! “With a podcast the engagement is much more personal. It’s a warmer medium. It sets us apart from the trolling culture, it insulates us from the paranoia, the anger and the overall culture of fake news.”  Roby Alampay CEO AND HOST, PUMAPODCAST THE COVID DIARIES As

Read more
A woman in Cambodia protesting

“Covid is just being used as excuse to clamp down on oppositionists”

By Mech Dara, VOD Yim Sareth’s crime was posting a photo of himself online wearing a mask, says his wife, Ouk Chanthy. That was in late March, as Covid-19 case numbers grew in the country and the government rounded up dozens of social media users for allegedly spreading “fake news” about the virus. Many were released, but

Read more
New bills pushed through during pandemic a setback for women’s and workers’ rights

New bills pushed through during pandemic a setback for women’s and workers’ rights

Magdalene is an online publication that offers fresh perspectives beyond the typical gender and cultural confines who channel the voices of feminists By Tabayyun Pasinringi, Magdalene From the much-criticised Omnibus Bill on Job Creation to the regressive Family Resilience Bill to an increased rein on government critics online, the pandemic has given cause for concern when

Read more
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Covering the pandemic and rights in Asia

If there is one ray of hope in the tragedy of this pandemic, it could be that Covid-19 is re-awakening people to the vital role that independent media plays in their societies. With disinformation spreading in almost all countries and false stories being shared on social media, more than ever people need reliable, media outlets to report the facts and document life under the pandemic. To many powerholders, and especially those with authoritarian leanings, independent media has an annoying tendency to point out their failures and shortcomings through critical journalism. The novel coronavirus has given independent media lots of opportunities to do just that recently. As a response to this situation, and in an effort the control the flow of information, there has been an alarming clampdown on free media across the globe from political leaders trying to stifle the free press. And as this Asia Covid-19: Rights Repressed Journalism Series documents, several governments in Asia have used the lockdown during Covid to surpass usual parliamentary procedures to pass new emergency laws that have a long-term impact on especially vulnerable citizen groups. Among the few opportunities that this crisis has offered is the possibility for stronger collaboration between like-minded independent media organisations. The Asia Covid-19 Rights Repressed Journalism Series is an example of this. Together with independent media partners in the IMS Asia Start-ups Network, this series brings to light violations of rights during the pandemic, some of which have slipped through underneath the radar while everyone’s eyes remain on the spread of the pandemic. It is hard to know how long it will be before normality returns, or what normality will look like. But as a media development organisation working with innovative and independent media partners, we will bring all our firepower to bear and do our part to support and work with independent media partners fighting for good public interest journalism in these difficult times.
People wearing face masks walk in a subway station during morning rush hour on July 20, 2020 in Beijing, China

 

Front cover of the report Covid-19 and the media: A pandemic of paradoxes, white text on a black background

Covid-19

A TURNING POINT FOR INDEPENDENT MEDIA?

Around the world, Covid-19 is re-awakening people to the vital role that independent media plays in their societies. 

From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, many independent media outlets are seeing their audiences grow as people realise they need quality information to navigate the crisis. 

See how other IMS partners are responding to Covid-19