(IPS) The number of media organisations has grown across Southeast Asia in recent years, but this has not necessarily translated into improved quality of reporting.

Now, fresh constraints are hampering the development of the media and threatening to undermine their credibility even more. In many cases, media organisations have already folded or are running huge losses due to poor journalism, as well as stiff competition.

To be sure, media freedom has flourished in countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and, to a certain extent, Cambodia. It was largely this opening up that led to a proliferation of news companies both in print and broadcast.

But this in turn resulted in a free-for-all fight for limited advertising monies. Many media companies began turning to tabloid-style reporting in a bid to increase circulation and attract more advertisers.

Such concerns, combined with the lack of training and education among an increasing number of the region's journalists, only ensured that the quality of journalism would deteriorate.

The profession's often low wages have also tempted some journalists to take bribes in exchange for favourable reports regarding certain personalities - a practice that is called ''envelopmental journalism" in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Some observers, however, say that the Southeast Asian media industry's problem is actually rooted in simple lack of professionalism and sense of ethics, as well as in a history of acceding to the wishes of those in power.

Transitional period

Indeed, Lukas Luwarso, vice-chair of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, observes that as Indonesia struggles during this transitional period to democracy, the media there are still learning how to use their newfound freedom and responsibility.

To help them along, a new Indonesian Press Council was formed in April last year, replacing the old state-sponsored council that Luwarso says ''functioned more as a state tool''.

Cambodia Communications Institute director Sek Barisoth, for his part, says he is ''proud to hear some of our foreign colleagues seriously saying that freedom of the press in Cambodia is stronger than in a number of countries in the region''.

But he admits that his country's media have been ''badly tainted with partisanship, misleading (information), blackmail, abuse of professional ethics, and irresponsibility''.

Across the region, meanwhile, civil society groups have also complained of being marginalised or portrayed negatively in the media.

''For example, when the poor take to Bangkok's streets, the media coverage often evokes the image of disorder,'' says Kalaya Chareonying, a lecturer in international relations in Bangkok.

''The roots of discontent are dismissed or touched upon only superficially. Often, the reporting reflects the authorities' disapproval. The context of the events is missing. Only quirky acts and violence succeed in capturing media attention. Why is that?'' she wonders.

The answer probably lies in Kalaya's observation that there are close connections between politicians and those who write about politics in newspapers.

''By not questioning the biases in the way society functions, the media end up perpetuating social prejudices and injustice,'' she says. ''By not questioning the definition of newsworthiness, for example, the media end up being tools used to support the power structure.''

Good news

There is a bit of good news, though. In Southeast Asian countries where the media are more restricted, market forces are ironically forcing a sycophantic press to adopt a slightly more liberal editorial policy to boost their circulation.

But seemingly, there have been attempts to curb even this very small ''improvement''.

Here in Malaysia, an officially initiated move to set up a media council has been greeted with suspicion among activists. Critics say that media control is already being exercised through repressive laws, political ownership of the media, along with self-censorship.

''I am a bit nervous about a media council in Malaysia,'' says media analyst Mustafa Anuar.

''Ideally,'' he says, ''its membership should represent the interests of almost every level of society. Otherwise, the council would be a form of indirect control of the media by the powers-that-be and would marginalise others, particularly the poor and the weak.''

Mustafa points out that for a media council to operate effectively, restrictive laws should first be reviewed and repealed.

Others say that a media council is not the only way to ensure professionalism and ethics in the industry - if that is what government officials are really after. Indonesia, for instance, has 22 media watch agencies set up by ex-journalists and activists.

In the meantime, in Singapore, which is also not exactly known to have a free press, there was an attempt as well to set up a media watch, this time as a purely civil society initiative. But that failed to take off, ostensibly due to an inability to raise funds.