Information Minister Orders TVK to Scrap Tedious Coverage
If Information Minister Khieu Kanharith is any indication, even the government is tiring of state television. Mr. Kanharith announced on Facebook on Wednesday that he had personally ordered the state-run TVK channel to stop broadcasting the comings and goings of state officials on foreign excursions. … Mr. Kanharith said that trips abroad by Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly President Heng Samrin, King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen would be exempt from the order. The government of Mr. Hun Sen has for years maintained a tight grip over the country’s broadcast media, with each of the nine licensed television stations either owned by or closely aligned with the ruling CPP. … Moeun Chhean Nariddh, director of the Cambodian Center for Media Studies, said that the government’s decadesold confidence that it can broadcast what it wishes without losing viewers to competitors was waning. “The media now has to do something to win over the support from the public, because ignoring important stories in their blackout now does not work,” Mr. Chhean Nariddh said. “People are now looking to other channels, particularly to Facebook pages and other social media outlets,” he added. …
Alex Willemyns
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/information-minister-orders-tvk-to-scrap-tedious-coverage-47680/
