Southasia's Crisis of Media Freedom

22 journalists killed. 69 jailed. 250+ violations. In just one year.

On World Press Freedom Day, Himal Southasian examines what that number really means and why Southasia has become one of the most dangerous regions in the world to do journalism.

From Pakistan's deadliest year for the press in two decades, to the Taliban's systematic dismantling of Afghan media, to India's legal harassment of critical voices and Myanmar's journalists driven underground by a military junta — the assault on media freedom across the region is both sweeping and deliberate.

It isn't only bullets and arrests. Vaguely worded digital-security laws, collapsing media revenues, AI-enabled harassment and algorithmic indifference are all doing their part to silence independent reporting.

When journalism weakens, so does the public's ability to hold power to account. As a consequence, polarisation, disinformation and democratic erosion are already visible across Southasia.

This World Press Freedom Day, we ask: what does it take to keep journalism alive in a region that is making it increasingly difficult to do so?

Sources: South Asia Press Freedom Report 2024–25, RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025