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• A- An Institution responsible for reflecting events affecting a society in one form or another as individuals do not have the resources to obtain information affecting their societies
• B- Agent of dissemination of information on behalf of a society based on the principles of objectivity and impartiality also known as professionalism and good journalism
• C- Society’s conscious: speaks when others do not or cannot speak
• D-Part of a country’s check and balance system to hold those in power accountable
• E- A gauge of democracy: positive correlation between democracy and the genuine media
• F- A major stakeholder in freedom of information as its absence affects it directly

• A-Unrestricted access to information affecting people’s life in some form
• B-Unrestricted right to cover events as they unfold
• C-Unrestricted/guaranteed right to freely disseminate information as the society’s voice/conscious
• D-Protection for media and its workers (journalists) stipulated by the law and observed by governments and their various organs as well as the judiciary
• E-Practical and guaranteed availability of institutions for redress in case of abuses

• A-SS as an institution reflecting its respective environment
(context within which SS operates as a determinant of its form/content of operation)
• B-Reasons for special sensitivities about SS in undemocratic countries

• A-SSR as a very long and gradual process to be backed by corresponding reforms in the respective society as it is positively correlated with the degree of democratization in that society.
• B-Degeneration of SSR into (partial/full) reorganizing/restructuring of SS within the existing undemocratic framework.
• SSR as a comprehensive package surely requires the above at the beginning, but cannot be confined to that only, as it requires a major overhaul of the SS structure, which has fostered undemocratic SS serving and defending its undemocratic political masters at any price.

• Acting as the agent of the status quo to report in order to preserve the vested interest of SS and thus to act as a barrier to a successful SSR to perpetuate the undemocratic SS
• Act as an agent of democratization and change (though external and indirect one) to help, support and facilitate SSR helping change the SS.

• A-As a rule, SS, including those of all ASEAN countries, does not like the media unless they are completely docile (government-owned or controlled or privately-owned by following the government line in reporting).
• B- Unsympathetic, unfriendly and outright hostile to journalists who want to adhere to good journalism and thus objectivity requiring to report positive and negative points, alike.
• C-This SS attitude makes it usually very difficult for the media to act freely and independently. Depending on countries, media workers usually experience one or a combination of three types of treatments
1-Promised or granted rewards for their cooperation
2-Receiving direct and indirect warnings addressed to them, colleagues or family members/loved ones as to the outcome of their non-cooperative approach (happens in many ASEAN countries)
3-Becoming a target of (official or non-official) physical or non-physical abuses delivered by the legal system and by SS and/or its officially or unofficially affiliated paramilitary forces a-physical (happens in many ASEAN countries) b-non-physical: various measures, creating legal or illegal barriers to their work, including using laws with broad interpretations against them, e.g., anti-defamation laws, secrecy laws, antiespionage acts, etc (happens in practically all ASEAN countries)

• A-Difficult subject in all societies but especially in undemocratic societies (e.g., almost all the
ASEAN countries) given SS’s association with secrecy and national security. In the absence of any legal protection for media workers guaranteed under freedom of information/speech, reporting will be very difficult as SS and its respective government, in general, are especially sensitive about references to SS not within the sanctioned and thus acceptable framework
(i.e., glorifying SS and whitewashing its failures).
• B-Viewing such references as a weakening measure of not only SS, but also its respective regime and thus the status quo preserving its interests as exposing wrongdoings/mistakes and or demanding remedies/ reforms could encourage other criticisms weakening the moral and discipline of SS and encouraging demands for changes to affect not just SS but also the overall status quo.
• C-Absence of any magic method to make reporting on SS safe and possible everywhere and under all circumstances given the existence of various interpretations about what limits on such reporting are, a varying degree of tolerance to such reporting and the specifics of the overall situation in any given country at a given time.
• D-Ways to minimize to the extent possible problems/harsh reactions and create a better mood for cooperation between the media and SS.
• 1-What not to do to the extent possible
• 2-What to do to the extent possible

• a-Do not question the legitimacy/necessity/function of the entire SS or one of its branches (e.g., police) that guarantee a harsh/united reaction.
• b-Do not question the whole operation of any given force within SS when dealing with one issue (e.g., abuse of power).
• c-Do not make generalizations, i.e., the entire force is corrupt, all officers are corrupt, abusive, incompetent, even if it is more or less true.
• d-Do not set demands, which are clearly unachievable and just create hostility making it difficult for the pro-reform SS members to push for achievable reforms/changes.
• e-To the extent possible, do not focus on individuals, but issues.
• f-Do not identify yourselves with one specific group to undermine your objectivity/impartiality.
• g-Do not alienate your respective media institutions and fellow journalists to lose their support by reporting/behaving in a manner, which could put them in a difficult situation forcing them to choose between you and their careers/lives.
• h--Do not encourage or suggest a direct foreign role or observation in SS or SSR although positive experiences should be discussed while emphasizing the necessity of modifications to make it compatible with a given country.
• i-Do not identify yourself with any foreign organization, group, embassy, etc no matter how impartial they are.

• a-Allay concerns about your objectives to the extent possible by “positive reporting, having your reports within a reassuring framework, e.g., reporting issues/problems within the context of helping SS strengthen itself by addressing its weaknesses to become more efficient and thus to perform its duties.
• b-Confine your reporting on one issue or a few related issues at a given time but not a wide range of issues to alienate all SS personnel.
• c-Encourage domestication of foreign experiences (stated above as well): Foreign positive experiences should be reported with an emphasis on their adjustments to reflect the specific needs/circumstances/cultural differences.
• d-Report any positive change even if it is not significant as it could actually help cultivate better ties between media workers and SS, giving credit to the respective force and individuals involved to help generate at least some support within SS to prevent the creation of a common hostile approach towards media workers.
• e-At least initially, encourage reforms/changes that could be carried out without a lot of resistance as such could actually encourage the clean elements of a force to have a stronger say and push for other reforms.
• f-Secure friendly/positive attitude of politicians/bureaucrats who are prepared to support some reform even if not all that needed, by signifying their projects (even small ones) to prevent the formation of civilian-SS alliance against pro-reform media workers whose destructive power cannot be resisted.

• A-Appreciating the positive role of the media as only one factor on SS, good reporting can certainly help improve the situation, although it may not change it drastically.
• B- The mentioned ways to minimize harsh reactions and create a better mood for cooperation between the media and SS should not be overestimated as at the end the overall mood/interests of SS and its respective government as well as the overall situation in a country determines whether any degree of objective reporting could be tolerated not just the journalistic skills.
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• C-Remember: all other things being equal SS will always take sides with their own not outsiders; cautious approach is necessary for survival .