PHNOM PENH: The Minister of Information, Khieu Kanharith, has said that journalists require a lot of knowledge and skills, but some journalists are not valued for their work.

Speaking at the award ceremony organized for journalists who have worked since the 1970s, held on Thursday (24 March), the Minister of Information said that when there is peace, journalists are not valued much. However, journalists require a lot of knowledge and skills to do their jobs.

"...some journalists who practice the right profession and who work ethically can help society a lot, not limited to just ordinary people, they can also help lead the country to make right decisions, so journalists are important," he added.

At the same time, the Minister said journalists today have decreased their ethics, especially journalists based in the provinces. He explained that they do not blame journalists completely, but they blame those who present themselves as journalists while not maintaining high values.

He continued that the role of journalists after 1979 became highly valued, with some entering this line of work with entrance exams, but now journalists no longer take such exams, so anyone who likes to write can essentially become a journalist, with the perception that this is a free job.

He stressed that enhancing the role of journalists is essential to contributing to society, and he encouraged the transfer of journalism knowledge from one generation to the next.

The "Five Decade Journalists Awards, from the 1970s to the present" was attended by 14 journalists from different media institutions.