Thirty years ago today, The Phnom Penh Post was born. Three decades later, it continues to bring quality news and contribute to nation-building and professionalism in the industry.
The Post, as we have become known, has been steadfast and tenacious in its reporting throughout the years, whether it was the civil war in the 1990s, the Asian Financial Crisis in 2008 and the coronavirus pandemic in the last two years.
This is a testament to our core values and principles to make sure the nation is kept informed regardless of the circumstances of relevant matters. Our reporters have reported the truth without fear or favour.
Which is why we can proudly say that we were there reporting and documenting Cambodia’s epochal moments,which have shaped the country’s character.
We have made sure that the news we bring to the fore is factual, objective and truthful, and not guided by follies of sensationalism. To this day, we continue to have a good following of readers who rely on our clear and fair reporting.
Our reportage has covered major events and milestones in Cambodia, important policies, decisions and declarations by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the government, business and public interest issues – from environment, public health, national triumphs, tragedies to sports and entertainment.
Changing times
While the economy has started to recover following the blight of Covid-19, much of the media landscape has also changed with time. No longer is news read on printed paper only but also accessible digitally for an increasingly tech-savvy society that demands free, fast and to-the-point information.
Alas, like everything else, change is imminent. The Post continues to evolve with the times, finding new means and ways to bring news, whether via the internet and social media or on the newsstands.
We continue to uphold journalism ethics and freedom, and strive to engage our readers with evocative and insightful articles while giving our commentators from public and private sectors, diplomats, NGOs and academicians – the platform to share their views and to be a mirror of the society.
Truth be told, the last two years have been difficult not just for the economy, business sectors and the people but for the media as well. But we did not shirk in our duty to keep people informed. We marched on and faced head-on challenges, focusing on bringing news to the people and recording events to mark the journey and transformation Cambodia and her people were facing in the scourge of Covid-19.
This in itself has proven our core strength in surviving through the odds for three decades and hopefully more.
Intelligent, in-depth, independent
As we move forward, we have embarked on a plan to reinvent ourselves to be more competitive and relevant in the current media landscape while ensuring our readers have seamless access to authentic and reliable reports.
The delivery of news has been extended to digital platforms to keep up with current times, where our social media pages Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram as well as Telegram – are regularly fed to update our readers on any breaking news, current affairs and news from the business world.
We now have over nine million followers on social media, including over seven million on Facebook, placing us among the highest read publications by Khmer and English language readers in the Cambodian digital sphere.
On this notion, we hope to continue evolving in order to serve our readers and remain the “people’s paper” for a long time, just as we have in the past.
In doing so, we pledge to carry on our duty as journalists to bring intelligent, in-depth and independent news – as per our motto – to the nation.
Appreciation and gratitude
The road ahead is uncertain. Times are changing and we must change accordingly, but one thing will stay constant and that is our readers.
Therefore, we want to say a big thank you for being with us and giving us a reason to stay relevant for 30 years.
Equally important for our continued existence is thanks to the Royal Government of Cambodia, in particular the Ministry of Information, for its unwavering trust in us and providing an amenable and safe media landscape to operate in.
At the same time, we also owe our gratitude to our advertisers and business partners for their support, collaboration and confidence in our products and services.
Finally, I want to thank our staff – past and present in all departments – for their continuous commitment and passion to cover stories, investigate and report to keep this paper going all these years.
There wouldn’t be much of The Post if it wasn’t for all of them.
And so, on this milestone celebration, an epochal moment for The Post too, we are thankful to have come this far. Though the future is unclear, we hope you will stay with us as we forge ahead.
Till then, I wish everyone all the best! Three cheers to 30 years! Happy Anniversary!
