To mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the IFJ, on behalf of the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) will launch its 21st annual South Asia Press Freedom Report, entitled Pressure & Polarisation: Powering Media Resistance in South Asia. The report, produced with support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), European Commission (EC), Norsk Journalistlag (NJ) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), provides an important analysis of trends, challenges, and success stories for press freedom in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In 2023, the report highlights the impact of political, religious, and societal polarisation on discourse and journalist safety in the region, including the disproportionate targeting of Hindu and other minority journalists under Bangladesh’s Digital Security Act, ongoing assaults to press freedom faced by Afghan journalists, shutdowns and arrests for allegedly politically affiliated journalists and networks in Pakistan, and the impact of India’s Bhartiya Janata Party’s attacks on critical voices, among other analyses. With contributions from over 30 journalists and union leaders across the region, revealingstrugglingthis year’s report also spotlights key union wins, new legislation to protect working journalists and regional solidarity amid severe challenges.The report also celebrates the region’s union wins, pro-worker legislation, and solidarity efforts. This work could not have been produced without the valuable inputs of all its contributors, or the support given.