Media Development in Transitional Democratic Cambodia

Abstract: This thesis explores the development of the media in transitional democratic Cambodia. It looks at how the media landscape has changed over the last 20 years (what has been the successes and failures and what are the ongoing challenges); the roles of the various stakeholders critical to the development of the media (government, media themselves and development partners); and it assesses five areas critical to the establishment of an independent and sustainable media: the space for free expression, media professionalism, plurality, business management and supporting institutions. In doing so, the link between a public sphere and good governance is emphasised, the important role of the media in state reconstruction reinforced, and the western neoliberal agenda critically explored with a view to how it may be influencing current-day Cambodian political ideology and development.