Status of Public service Journalism in Asia Disinformation & Misinformation
An original CSNN India Desk contribution on public-interest reporting, information disorder and the civic infrastructure of trust across Asia.
Public Service
Journalism understood as a public-interest system for informing citizens, exposing core issues and strengthening civic awareness.
Disinformation
False or misleading information deliberately circulated to manipulate attention, reputation, behaviour or public understanding.
Misinformation
Incorrect information shared without adequate verification, often amplified through speed, emotion and weak source awareness.
Status of Public service Journalism in Asia – Disinformation & Misinformation
Author Contribution
Original Wording
Global concern over suppression of independent journalism is not the only issue but fake and fallacious information hits hard to the society, systems and the economy.
Among all continents most populous continent Asia has more than 60% of the world population with 33.06% of the world’s land area.
Welfare of the largest populous region determines through one of the fundamental determinants, which is status of public service journalism in Asia with floating matters, such as disinformation and misinformation.
2026 World Press Freedom Index says “In 2026, press freedom in Asia hit a 25-year low”.
According to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index report, 20 out of 32 countries in the Asia pacific region are experiencing decline in the economy due to the declining state of independent journalism.
While South Asia’s political fluctuation creates ambience for information crisis, conflicts in West Asia, Iran vs Israel and the USA, so also Hormuz increased the scale of misinformation.
Public service journalism focuses on civic empowerment by providing informative, inquisitive and awakening news to the consumers. It sheds light on the core issues, education, well-being, corruption, etc.
Public service journalism mostly practiced by independent journalists and non-profit organizations. In exceptional cases state run or purely commercial media also do public service journalism.
Not only in Asian countries but across the globe there is furore about control and pressure on public service journalism, which is absolutely true.
Disinformation and misinformation are two forms used to misuse the practice of freedom of expression or independent journalism.
Disinformation is intentional spread of false and misleading information to serve petty interests, such as, to get more click and online viewership and to defame the competitor.
Different types of Disinformation are AI and Deepfake, emotional manipulation, imposter and falsification by creating duplicate websites, logos, and belief perseverance that targets specific person, group, community by fabricated scoop.
Misinformation is the outcome of ignorance and hyper expression. Sharing disinformation without knowing the source and truth.
Nevertheless, the consequences like character assassination, mob lynching and embezzlement are fatal not only in Asia but across the globe based on the culture and political climate.
In Asia, rampant incidents of crushing public service journalism for hushing up is an open secret. Different countries have slightly different characteristics of suppression of independent journalism or sometimes they are similar.
Few of these incidents are,
In June 2026, the authority of Bangladesh, a South Asian country, charged six journalists from the Daily Agrajatra (an investigative national daily newspaper in Bangladesh) for publishing an investigative report on financial impropriety of a minister.
Sri Lanka’s convened bill “Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka (CIMP)” is not accepted but protested with fear of censorship of mainstream journalists and content creators based on generalized accusation of ‘misconduct’.
Public service journalism in China has specific connotation. It addresses issues of ‘State building’ and ‘Livelihood’.
In India, public service journalism operates with government controlled media ‘Prasar Bharti’ ( Radio) and ‘Doordarshan’ ( Telivision).
There are thousands of independent public service media available in different languages and mediums in India. Few of them are, Asian News International (ANI), Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), and Press Trust of India (PTI).
Reporter ohne Grenzen, published from Paris, took the bull by the horns by publishing “Authoritarian regimes use economic pressure to control the press”.
Here authoritarians are equal to democratic governments in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Junta in Myanmar and Taliban in Afghanistan.
Many a times status of public service journalism hampered by miscreants of disinformation and misinformation.
Responsible public service journalism is the nervous tissue of the Asian continent. It is nurturing place of rising soft power through its rich culture.
But in the real world, genuine public service journalism is a throne in the eyes of those who are directly or indirectly carrying the tradition of graft. Lack of ethics promotes disinformation and misinformation.
The status of public service journalism in Asia is subdued and needs to be spirited and sparkling.
