Macau News Outlet Closes After Government Deregistration

Bassyonni

ago 6 hours

Macau News Outlet Closes After Government Deregistration

All About Macau, an independent news outlet in the casino hub of Macau, has announced its closure following government actions that included deregistration. This decision comes after the authorities denied its journalists entry to official events, escalating the pressure on the publication. The announcement was made on Thursday, stating that the outlet would discontinue its monthly publication after October 2025 and cease all website and social media updates starting December 20, 2025.

Factors Leading to Closure

The outlet mentioned “increasing pressure and risk” as reasons for this decision. Since October 2024, All About Macau reporters faced restrictions from accessing official events. The challenges intensified in April 2025 when the legislative assembly barred entry to three reporters, leading to concerns about possible criminal prosecutions against them.

Government Actions

The Macau Government Information Bureau confirmed that All About Macau’s periodicals registration has been canceled.
This cancellation implies the media outlet no longer has a legal basis for its operations under Macau’s Press Law.

Despite being reliant on limited advertising revenue, reader subscriptions, and donations, resource constraints coupled with external pressures have prompted the team to conclude that maintaining quality journalism is no longer feasible.

Press Restrictions in Macau

As of 2024, the Macau government had a total of 111 registered publications. The previous year, the registrations of 11 periodicals were revoked due to inactivity. Media registration in Macau is subject to strict regulations; daily publications must publish at least once every 180 days to retain their registration.

Notably, the government’s rationale for canceling All About Macau’s registration remains unclear. In April 2025, two of its reporters were detained for questioning after being barred entry to the Legislative Assembly.

Press Freedom Concerns

Ian Sio Tou, president of the Macau Journalists Association, was among those detained.
The press union expressed deep regret over the incident, while the Society of European Journalists condemned it as an assault on press freedom.

Founded in 2010 as an online platform, All About Macau began monthly print publications in 2013 and gained recognition for its coverage of significant events, such as the protests in Macau in 2014, where 20,000 people demonstrated against government corruption.

Political Climate in Macau

Since the expansion of national security laws in May 2023, Macau has increasingly tightened control over dissent. This crackdown included the arrest of former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San in July and the disqualification of 12 candidates from the recent legislative elections. The new “patriots only” elections held in September reported a turnout rate of just 53%, one of the lowest in years.