AKP Phnom Penh, June 02, 2026 --

Around 200 media practitioners from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam gathered in Phnom Penh today in a media forum to discuss ways to fight against fake news in the region.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Zero Fake News Campaign: Strengthening Anti-Misinformation Efforts Following Combating Fake News for Journalists (Phase 2) under the theme “Building Regional Trust, Digital Resilience, and Responsible Information Sharing,” H.E. Neth Pheaktra, Minister of Information of Cambodia, said in an era of rapid digital transformation; fake news, misinformation, disinformation, manipulated content, and harmful online narratives can now spread across borders within minutes.

According to the Minister, these issues can confuse the public, weaken trust in institutions, damage social harmony, affect national security, and undermine cooperation among countries. This is no longer only a media issue. It is a matter of public trust, social stability, national resilience, and regional confidence therefore, the region has to take joint action against these.

H.E. Neth Pheaktra said fake news is not a challenge for Cambodia alone. It is a shared regional and global challenge. Misinformation travels across borders, languages, platforms, and communities. Therefore, no single country, no single ministry, no single media outlet, and no single platform can address it alone.

“This is why today’s forum is important. It brings together representatives from Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam, as well as government officials, media professionals, journalists, fact-checkers, experts, youth, and communication practitioners. Through the plenary session, we will exchange national experiences and discuss common challenges, identify practical responses, and consider strategic actions to support the Zero Fake News Campaign and build a more trusted information space in the Mekong region,” he underlined.

H.E. Minister added that this Forum is guided by several important principles: public awareness, media literacy, access to reliable information, timely fact-checking, responsible journalism, ethical digital engagement, and regional cooperation.

To fight fake news in the region, the Minister also shared 5 priorities measures: First, strengthening media, information, and digital literacy among citizens, especially youth, students, rural communities, and vulnerable groups. Second, promoting professional journalism, ethical reporting, and responsible content creation through training, capacity-building, and the implementation of the Charter for Professional Journalism. Third, improving the credibility, speed, and responsiveness of public communication, particularly through the spokesperson system across ministries, institutions, and provincial administrations. Fourth, promoting cooperation between government institutions, media organisations, journalists, digital platforms, influencers, educators, civil society, and the public. And fifth, encouraging citizens to verify information before sharing and to use reliable and official sources, especially during sensitive situations, public emergencies, and national issues.

H.E. Prak Thaveak Amida, Undersecretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Information, said combating fake news cannot be undertaken in isolation.

“It requires a whole-of-society and whole-of-region approach. Governments, media institutions, journalists, educators, civil society, youth, influencers, technology platforms, and citizens must work together to promote truth, trust, responsibility, and resilience in the information space,” he said.

H.E. Undersecretary of State said today’s forum is more than a dialogue. “It is a demonstration of our shared commitment to protect our societies from harmful falsehoods, to strengthen public trust, and to promote responsible information sharing for peace, stability, and sustainable development in our region,” he stressed.

By Heng Panha