About this episode

The episode discusses the declining state of press freedom in the Asia-Pacific region with insights from Reporters Without Borders.

World Press Freedom Index is an annual report released by the international non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on the status of press freedom in 180 countries. Its 2026 report, released on April 30, found that press freedom around the world is at a 25-year low. Our guest today is  Aleksandra Bielakowska, Advocacy Manager of RSF’s Asia-Pacific bureau and President of the RSF Taiwan Chapter. In this episode, we walk through the latest global findings, the reasons behind the decrease of press freedom in Asia, China’s growing media influence abroad, and the current threats to Taiwan’s media landscape. Key points:  World Press Freedom is at the lowest since RSF began tracking in 2002. This year, 94 countries (52.2%) are in a “difficult” or “very serious” situation  Across Asia, authoritarianism and repressive policies from democratic countries have fueled the declines of press freedom in places like Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. China has increased its state-media presence across the world, and targeted foreign press agencies in countries like Denmark and the Philippines with harassment campaigns…

More episodes of The Taiwan Take

• 60. Journalist Tim Culpan on Computex and what’s next for Taiwan’s A.I. boom (Culpium) · June 4, 2026 · 50 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Taiwan Take podcast page.