Comparing impacts on media freedom in Southeast Asia: Connotative context factors in Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand

Abstract

Cross-national media freedom comparison is often based on Western-biased indices published by organizations such as Freedom House or Reporters Without Borders. Additionally, Eurocentric analysis and comparison are endorsed by the application of hegemonic media systems models to compare media environments. This study argues that cultural contextualization is indispensable to challenging the prevailing Eurocentrism. Comparison of the ‘connotative’ contexts of Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand demonstrates the analytical and explanatory power of inductively inferred variables to understand the formation of political communication. The comparison highlights factors which go beyond the comparison of media systems using predefined categories and models.