Cambodia: journalists, influencers and creators warned against content harming women's “dignity”
The Ministry of Information is no longer just issuing warnings: it now says it will take concrete administrative action against journalists, influencers and content creators found to harm women's “dignity” and “reputation.” The announcement comes just days after the minister himself summoned two creator groups for a formal reprimand — a sign that August 2026's warning is more than a statement of principle.
What the statement says
In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the Ministry of Information announced it will pursue administrative measures against journalists, influencers and content creators found to harm the “dignity” and “reputation” of women. The statement follows an August 14 meeting with delegates from the Cambodian National Council for Women, focused on “social morality” and the ways the ministry can protect it.
The ministry warned against producing interviews or broadcasting content deemed “insulting,” or content that could cause conflict, discrimination, or embarrassment. “They must respect the people's rights, people's reputation and people's dignity,” the ministry said — without specifying what kind of content or material would be considered a violation of women's rights, reputation or dignity.
The statement singles out content created for views and high engagement, including the use of generative AI to manipulate audiences. It also raises concerns about content that exploits women's bodies and violates the privacy of vulnerable women simply for views, profit, and advertising.
The ministry further stated that “the freedom of the press and freedom of speech must be carried with responsibility, ethical, professional [conduct] and respect [for] the law” — a formulation that, without saying so explicitly, places the new directive within the continuity of existing texts already governing the journalism profession in Cambodia.
Graduated penalties, persistent vagueness
According to the statement, measures taken will depend on the size and scope of the offence. Journalists, influencers and content creators who violate the guidelines may be issued warnings, provided guidance, or required to correct or remove inappropriate content. The ministry also reserves the right to review licenses, press cards or other professional documents, and to refer relevant cases to police for legal action.
What the statement does not provide is a precise definition of what constitutes a violation of women's dignity or reputation — a vagueness the text never resolves, and one that leaves the authorities considerable latitude in how the measure is applied.
Two creator groups already reprimanded
This announcement did not come out of nowhere. On August 3 and 4, just days before the statement was published, Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra summoned two groups of content creators, known as “Neay Kdeb” and “Kru Ter,” to discuss social media videos deemed to violate ethical standards. Pheaktra did not specify, in the Facebook post recounting the meeting, what content had triggered the summons — but the two groups had previously produced videos speaking derogatorily about women based on what they wear.
According to Pheaktra, after being warned and given advice, both groups acknowledged their mistake, apologised to the public, and pledged to remove the inappropriate content and not repeat the same actions.
A minister who has made “professionalization” his signature
This sequence bears the hallmark of Neth Pheaktra, Minister of Information since 2023, who has made regulating online content creators and journalists a central plank of his tenure. As early as 2024, he pushed through a Charter of Professional Journalists that ties “professional journalist” status to holding a press card — a measure that drew criticism from press-freedom observers, who argue it effectively makes the practice of journalism contingent on prior state approval.
The minister had also, back in March 2024, urged video and blog producers — particularly so-called “MMO” (make-money-online) monetization groups — to prioritize professional ethics over chasing likes, shares and views purely for profit.
Part of a broader pattern
August's warning adds to a series of directives issued since the start of the year. On April 2, a joint instruction from the Ministries of Information, Women's Affairs, and Culture and Fine Arts already banned content creators from producing or distributing material with suggestive sexual content or material exploiting women's bodies to drive online engagement. In mid-August, the ministry also warned creators against exploiting children for views or profit, in consultation with organizations including Unicef Cambodia, Save the Children and Plan International. And on August 14, Senate President Hun Sen himself asked several ministries to set up mechanisms for monitoring abusive language online, citing concrete cases — including that of a phone seller prosecuted for insulting a soldier.
Concern over how women are portrayed in the media is not new in Cambodia: a first joint code of conduct between the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Women's Affairs, adopted back in 2017, already barred media outlets from publishing the identities of victims of violence against women or degrading images of them.
What it means for media professionals
For newsrooms, influencers and content creators active in Cambodia, the signal sent by the authorities is consistent from one text to the next: the portrayal of women online is under close scrutiny, with the prospect of administrative penalties — content removal, press-card review — or even legal action, rather than informal reminders alone. What remains is the continued absence of clear definitions of what constitutes a violation of women's “dignity” or “reputation” — a gap that continues to fuel concern, among some observers of the Cambodian press, over how much interpretive latitude the authorities retain. Neither the August 14 statement nor the directives that preceded it fully resolve that question.
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