Indigenous journalists in Asia still largely ‘invisible’ across mainstream: Report

Indigenous journalists across Asia— home to two-thirds of world’s Indigenous population— remain largely invisible in mainstream media, lack resources, and face critical risks for their work, according to a new report.

The state of Indigenous journalists in Asia: Examining the challenges, representation, and resilience of Indigenous journalists in the Asian nations of Cambodia, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines and Thailand has been prepared by the Knowledge for Development Foundation (K4D), a Thailand-registered non-profit.

It claims to present the first multi-country study on the status, challenges, and resilience of Indigenous journalists across seven Asian nations.

“Drawing on in-depth interviews with Indigenous journalists in these countries, secondary sources, and case studies, it highlights the systemic marginalization of Indigenous journalists in mainstream media in Asia,” the report read.

Key findings

According to the report, indigenous journalists are severely underrepresented in national media institutions across the seven countries. They are often relegated to junior roles and perceived as biased.

Indigenous women face triple marginalisation (gender, ethnicity, and poverty) and are nearly invisible in media leadership. Despite this, there are also indigenous women-led media initiatives in Malaysia, the Philippines and India.

Journalists face threats, violence, censorship, and surveillance when reporting on indigenous rights, especially land issues. None of the seven countries make it to the top 50 rank in the Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index.

Structural challenges—lack of funding, limited journalism training, and digital divides—hinder the growth of indigenous media.

Mainstream media perpetuates colonial stereotypes and fails to represent indigenous perspectives accurately.

In response to the invisibilisation and misrepresentation in the mainstream media, indigenous community radio, social media, and youth-led digital platforms are emerging as vital tools for language and culture preservation, and archives of indigenous knowledge, the assessment noted.

Key recommendations

The document called for the formal recognition of indigenous persons and enforcement of UNDRIP Article 16 that deals with indigenous people’s right to establish their own media.

It also urged quotas, scholarships, and support for indigenous journalists in colleges, universities and media institutions.

There should be dedicated funding, safety protocols, training, and mentorship programs. Journalism curricula and media institutions should be decolonised.

Regional Indigenous media networks need support and collaboration, according to the report.

“Despite structural barriers, Indigenous journalism in Asia is a space of resilience, advocacy, and cultural revival. Indigenous journalists are knowledge producers, and they also challenge domination narratives. It is crucial that governments, mainstream media establishments, grant agencies, and universities in these seven Asian countries offer systemic investment into IP-led media and grant recognition so that Indigenous journalists can thrive as narrators of their own stories,” concluded the report.