Cambodia's News Blackmailers

Hundreds of Cambodian journalists make a living by uncovering news and then extorting bribes to bury the story.

Journalism has become synonymous with blackmail in Cambodia. Growing numbers of reporters are combing the country for news, only to extort money from lawbreakers in return for hiding their findings.

Out of 400 registered newspapers in the country, only 20 publish regularly.

Hundreds of journalists use their skills to uncover crime and misconduct - often in remote areas where illegal logging is rampant - and demand bribes to keep it under wraps. In recent times, journalists have been assaulted and even murdered in retaliation.