3. Collapse in public access to news While Myanmar’s media have increased their output, the public’s ability to access this information has significantly declined. This section measures the impact of the military’s use of various measures to disconnect the people of Myanmar from independent media, representing a violation of the right to access information. 3.1. Significant decline in audience size Despite the media’s increase in posts, the total The combined audience “reach”, or how many people actually see the reach for the 50 sample content, has declined significantly since the coup. The combined audience reach for the 50 sample outlets declined by -48% outlets declined by -48% from 4.7 billion “views” per month before the coup to 2.4 billion in 2026. The average number of views per post has declined even more sharply at -56%, dropping from 274,518 to 121,589. The scale of this decline suggests significant barriers to information flows rather than natural changes in audience behaviour. It indicates that a large proportion of the public no longer has access to the vital information they need to make decisions about their lives and safety. Furthermore, the significant loss of access to information during an election period raises concerns about disenfranchisement, undermining the foundation of any free and fair process. Posts and reach in 2026 compared to pre-coup -100 -75 -50 Average number of media posts Average number of views per post 0 +25 +50 +18% Median number of posts Average number of views -25 +64% -48% -56% Page 9 of 24 +75 +100