The decline in comments was most severe for State-owned and military-aligned media, which fell by -52% and -39% respectively, compared to a -29% drop for independent media. Eleven and MRTV-4 lost -84% and -52% of their comments. The disproportionate loss of comments on military-affiliated media shows that the public is actively withdrawing its participation from the military’s information space, rather than ceasing all public debates. Despite the overall decline, some independent media saw growth in comments. The Myanmar Press Photo Agency received an increase of +4,319%, Kachin Waves saw +1,382%, and Ayeyarwaddy Times gained +1,096%. The growth in discussion on some independent outlets shows that the public’s need for communal discussion remains a vital act of social bonding and resilience. Top 10 Myanmar media for comments Before the coup (Jan 2021) Change 2025-6 election period 1 RFA (Burmese) Khit Thit Media 2 DVB 3 Irrawaddy (Burmese) 4 Eleven 5 Myanmar Now People's Spring 6 BBC (Burmese) Popular News Journal 7 Mizzima (Burmese) Mizzima (Burmese) 8 Pyi Myanmar Ayeyarwaddy Times 9 Eleven Broadcasting Myanmar Now 10 One News Myanmar ေမာင်း DVB BBC (Burmese) Irrawaddy (Burmese) Key: International media, Independent media Military-aligned media State-owned media . 6. Editorial stances and polarisation This report has shown the direction and scale of change in media information flows on Facebook after the coup. Media and their audiences have developed in other ways, too, particularly in the content of what they publish. This section analyses how the military’s attempts to control the narrative have led to shifts in editorial stances, and how that affects society. Page 17 of 24