Foreword

There is no doubt that democracy in South Asia is facing a severe and troubling downward trajectory and, with it, an enormous crisis in collective political confidence.

Everywhere we look, nations are struggling not just to get the balance right but they are defaulting their citizens in democracy’s fundamental fora – to respect basic human rights, to give clear regard to the rule of law, to value all people equally, to tolerate differences and opposing ideas and – importantly for the media – to allow true freedom of speech, association and belief.

A quick walk around the national headlines gives a pretty clear picture.

Under the strong arm of military control and its dominance over the country’s political sphere, Pakistan is for all intents and purposes an authoritarian regime operating under the guise of democracy. Afghanistan remains shut down internally and locked off from the world under the ongoing repression and international isolation wrought by the Taliban regime. India’s ever-increasing polarisation has the world’s largest democracy precariously exposed to the whims of misinformation, state sanctioned propaganda and viral outpourings of hate speech. Bhutan may guarantee freedom of speech, but the situation on the ground remains constrained and fragile. Nepal’s political instability and policy stagnation is fueling broader social discontent and a return of a determined and aggressive pro-monarchy movement. The Maldives is again tipping precariously toward unchecked state power via a heavily weakened opposition. Sri Lanka’s ongoing penchant for restrictions and disruption of civic rights and its systematic failure to address past crimes remains a critical concern, even despite the political departure of the country’s entrenched dynastic rule. And lastly, there is Bangladesh – an enormous democracy standing on extremely shaky ground after a mass popular uprising brought down the brutal dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina.

To say things are precarious in South Asia is a vast understatement. As for the media, the situation represents an even more formidable and perilous frontline.

In this report, Frontline Democracy: Media Amid Political Churn, we break down the complexities and challenges of an industry that is endeavouring to find level footing and steady ground in democratic spaces riven by political challenges and massive economic and civil disruption.

We also outline how the ongoing collapse of revenue streams and the fact that too many media houses remain compromised and over reliant on revenue from government advertising, means that too many journalists also remain unpaid while still working.

While the ever-expanding digiverse continues to offer immense opportunities for journalism and its potential to expose corruption and human rights violations as well as challenge mainstream and official narratives, the big question remains – how does it sustain? With so much of South Asia’s media also in the midst of a fight for financial survival due to the drastic industry transformation, the stakes for democracy remain exceedingly worrying.

It is true that the rise and rise of the growing gig economy continues to have a profound impact on the way journalism in South Asia is being created and shared. While it is generating incredible opportunities for investigations, storytelling, monetisation and using secure channels to publish vital news in closed political spaces, it is also leading media workers into a world of contracts, precarious work, freelancing and unstable work with little or no job security. At the same time, the increasing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the industry continues to play out, destroying traditional media jobs with a flick of a key.

Compounding the financial challenges is the ongoing safety and security situation confronting South Asia’s journalists and media workers both online and offline. From May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025, IFJ and its affiliates recorded 250 media rights violations against media workers across the South Asia region. Targeted killings of journalists rose dramatically as violence escalated, up from eight deaths in 2023-24 to 20 killings in 2024-25, with Pakistan leading the tally with seven journalists murdered, Bangladesh with six and India with five. Bangladesh had the highest total number of violations amid its national wave of protests with at least 65 violations recorded, followed by Afghanistan with 48, Nepal with 42, and Pakistan with 34.

In this climate, the collective voice of industry unions is ever more critical.

Importantly, this report tells the story of how journalists and their representative bodies continue to fight for journalists’ rights, wages and working conditions and how they are also standing up against increasingly authoritarian governments and calling them to account.

In every country, journalists and media activists continue to push back on this democratic frontline. Here they prevail and endeavour to find solutions to complex problems by forming alliances and working with civil society to establish stronger protections for media workers and drive future industry viability through the sharing of ideas and strategies.

With misinformation and disinformation now the number one risk facing the world, the imperative is evident that South Asia’s media must remain the watch-dog to these fragile democracies. And journalists must continue to play the crucial role in shaping public opinion, disseminating facts and vital information and holding the power to account, while also supporting the process of political participation and public mobilisation.

But importantly, we must underline, there can be no robust fourth estate if there is no decent work for media workers. These brave and important people cannot sustain without a living wage. And there can be no democracy without them. This is the most critical frontline.

Jane Worthington
Director – IFJ Asia-Pacific