The majority of Cambodians now get their news from the internet, Facebook specifically, instead of television or other sources, according to results of a study conducted by the Asia Foundation and the Open Institute.
Thirty percent of those surveyed said social media was their go-to news source, with 29 percent claiming TV was how they kept informed. Only 2 percent preferred newspapers. Last year’s study found a quarter of the respondents cited the internet as their primary news source, with a third turning to TV for news first.
Government officials, or family and friends of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, operate all of the TV outlets in the Kingdom, with online media offering up an alternative to state-controlled broadcasts. “This is a huge change in culture… and a positive change for the country,” said Javier Sola, program director at the Open Institute and one of the study’s authors.
Researchers of the study, which was released yesterday by The Asia Foundation, Open Institute and USAID, interviewed 2,061 local people aged 15 to 65 in September about their internet and mobile phone use.
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