Communist-ruled Laos, a one-party state, was described by Reporters Without Borders as an information "black hole" where the government exerts complete control over news outlets. The watchdog group's 2022 World Press Freedom Index placed Laos 161st out of 180 countries in the index and noted that many of the Southeast Asian country's 7 million people get their news from next-door Thailand, which has a similar language and enjoys more media freedom.
