The military junta is tightening its grip on the nation’s press following last week’s military coup in Thailand. After martial law was declared and soldiers stormed several TV stations, orders effectively stifling any free expression have been followed by the arrest or summoning of hundreds of politicians, activists and journalists.

Newspapers in the region publish news that Venezuelan media have stopped printing due to the shortage of newsprint and plan sending newsprint stock.

Change is in the air for the Myanmar media - after months of broken promises, the country’s censorship office was finally closed in September 2012, while pre-publication censorship has been abolished and on 1 April 2013, daily newspapers were printed for the first time in close to 50 years. However, information from media advocacy groups and journalists reveals sharp barriers to the nation’s supposed media liberation.

Government transparency is crucial to a democratic society and the media plays a huge role in ensuring this mechanism; since the end of Apartheid and the succession of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa has had an independent press where investigative journalism thrives, uncovering corruption and helping to keep the government accountable.