ABOUT THE AUTHORS ABOUT THE RESEARCH TEAM Andrew Wasuwongse is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations and International Economics, with a concentration in Southeast Asia Studies. While a research assistant for the SAIS Burma Study Group, he supported visits by three Burmese government delegations to Washington, DC, including officials from Myanmar’s Union Parliament, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Industry. He has worked as a consultant for World Vision Myanmar, where he led an assessment of education programs in six regions across Myanmar, and has served as an English teacher in Kachin State, Myanmar, and in Thailand on the Thai-Myanmar border. He speaks Thai and Burmese. Established in 1995, Myanmar Survey Research (MSR) is a market and social research company based in Yangon, Myanmar. MSR has produced over 650 research reports in the fields of social, market, and environmental research over the past 16 years for UN agencies, INGOs, and business organizations. Alison Campbell is currently Internews’ Senior Director for Global Initiatives based in Washington, DC, overseeing Internews’ environmental, health and humanitarian programs. She recently relocated to the US from Asia, where she founded Internews Burma project in 2001, started the Internews Burma Journalism School and has been deeply involved in the recent exciting developments in the media scene in Burma/Myanmar over the last few years. With a background in both journalism and humanitarian relief, she specializes in the design and troubleshooting of media projects in conflict, post conflict, peace building and other transitional environments. Alison has worked in various capacities for Internews over the last 15 years, most recently as Regional Manager for Africa Programs overseeing projects in Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan. She also established the Internews program at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, providing a foundation for the important work that Internews still does in Rwanda. Before joining Internews, Alison worked in radio, print and television newsrooms in South Africa and in the UK before spending four years as a press officer for CARE, managing press relations and policy in humanitarian emergencies including Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Bosnia. With global expertise and reach, Internews trains both media professionals and citizen journalists, introduces innovative media solutions, increases coverage of vital issues and helps establish policies needed for open access to information. cover photo Man reads journal and listens to radio Kyaik Hto - Moke Ka Mawt Village. executive summary ABOUT INTERNEWS in MYANMAR Internews is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower local media worldwide to give people the news and information they need, the ability to connect and the means to make their voices heard. Internews provides communities with the resources to produce local news and information with integrity and independence. The Internews Burma project opened its doors in January 2001 and has worked for the last 14 years to strengthen the capacity of Burmese media outlets both inside the country and within the exiled and international Burmese media community. Over the years Internews has provided comprehensive support for Burmese and ethnic language publications, websites, bloggers, broadcasters, editors, managers and publishers. This support includes training and mentoring in reporting on environment, human rights, elections, gender, policy issues, media management, media law, small grants and technical support for publishing and production. As part of this program, Internews operated the first in-residence journalism school for Burmese and ethnic reporters in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The school trained hundreds of journalists and media professionals, and equipped a new generation of Burmese and ethnic media professionals with the skills to work full-time. Internews trained and provided technical and financial support to more than 15 different local organizations, both along the border and inside the country. These organizations have gone on to play leading roles in disseminating quality news and information about Burma to the world and to the Burmese population alike. Internews’ work in Myanmar continues today, and has expanded beyond support for traditional media to include the country’s first-ever hackathon in 2014, which brought together 76 of the country’s most talented young developers, designers and entrepreneurs. www.internews.org M yanmar’s recent relaxing of political, economic, and social restrictions has provided a unique opportunity to conduct research in Myanmar’s ethnic states. This report on Mon State’s information ecosystem is the first in a planned series of studies into the demographic, news media, and information dynamics that characterize Mon State as well as Myanmar’s six other ethnic states—Chin, Kachin, Kayah (Karenni), Kayin (Karen), Rakhine (Arakan), and Shan. An information ecosystem is not a static entity; it is by nature constantly evolving and changing. Nor is it a discrete form; it can be defined at many levels, from global to national to community to interest-based groupings within communities. Any examination of an information ecosystem goes beyond traditional audience research on media access and consumption; it adds considerations of information needs and information creation and distribution as fluid systems that adapt and regenerate according to the broader developmental challenges and needs of a given community. The report draws from quantitative and qualitative research commissioned by the Internews Center for Innovation & Learning (the Center) from December 16, 2012 to January 5, 2013 in Mon State, Myanmar. The research sampled respondents from across Mon State, and combines quantitative data from a 500 household survey covering urban, rural, non-conflict, and former conflict areas, with qualitative data from 12 focus group discussions and 24 key informant interviews in both non-conflict and former conflict areas. The research focuses on three themes. Firstly, it identifies and maps the information environment in Mon State in terms of technology and media use across urban, rural, non-conflict, and former conflict geographic areas. Secondly, the flow of news and information is examined to see how individuals receive information and then make decisions about sharing it with others. Thirdly, the report examines the dynamics underlying the trust and influence of news and information among individuals in Mon State. 1 INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS in transition: a case study from myanmar how to inform, empower, and impact communities PART ONE: RESE ARCH FINDINGS