COMMENT | As we mark World Press Freedom Day 2025, Southeast Asia stands at a dangerous inflection point.

The region is witnessing not only the erosion of press freedom but also the deliberate construction of a digital authoritarian order - one that marries repressive laws, disinformation campaigns, and artificial intelligence to silence dissent and consolidate power.

In democracies, a free press is not ornamental - it is existential. It holds governments to account, amplifies marginalised voices, and equips citizens with the information they need to act.

But across Southeast Asia, this essential function of journalism is being dismantled.

From Jakarta to Manila, Phnom Penh to Naypyidaw, media outlets are being threatened, co-opted, or shut down. Journalists in the region are under attack like never before.