Over a Dozen Southeast Asian News Outlets Issue Joint Statement on AI's Effects on Journalism for World Press Freedom Day

More than a dozen Southeast Asian news outlets issued a joint statement on May 3, 2026, highlighting the adverse impact of large language model artificial intelligence systems on journalism, facts and democracy, Rappler reported. The joint statement was released in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day 2026.

It describes how big tech platforms deploy algorithms that hide information and facts, making it more difficult for people to find journalism.

Meta deprioritized news content on Facebook users’ feeds, which harms media organizations by cutting them off from readers, according to the statement. The economic model for journalism has been destroyed by Big Tech’s monopolistic control over the digital landscape and audience data, the outlets stated.

Over 76% of total worldwide digital advertising spend has been captured by Big Tech as of April 2026.

Companies like Facebook and Google capture the vast majority of digital advertising spend, the statement noted. The persistent rise of disinformation online, supercharged by AI deepfakes, has turned the internet into an ugly, toxic world, crowding out credible information and eroding trust, the outlets said.

These challenges have caused massive layoffs across the news industry, journalists to leave the field and news outlets to close.

“We need a digital space where facts and high-quality information are amplified, not buried,” the joint statement said. ” The statement calls for solutions to enable independent public interest media to thrive amid monopolistic competition from Big Tech and authoritarian attacks. It pushes for transparent algorithms designed to serve people’s information needs, not tech companies’ profit margins.

“We call on civic-minded citizens to work with us in building digital spaces cured of the ills that now define the internet built by big tech platforms,” the outlets stated. They urge other news groups, communities and organizations to embrace “radical collaboration” to take back the internet for human thriving. PH (Philippines) and Davao Today (Davao City, Philippines).

When crisis or conflict strikes, journalists and newsrooms go to the frontlines to bring people the information they need to make crucial decisions, the statement said. Independent news organizations aim to bring attention to seismic shifts in the digital space that choke the flow of verified information to the public and make it less likely for media outlets to survive.