9/24/21, 8:03 PM Hard talk or hate speech? Outlet spreads disinformation and bigotry under guise of political commentary | Frontier Myanmar The site’s output – particularly of photos, videos and livestreams – increased markedly in late summer, as the November election approached. In another MHT post, the outlet claimed, without evidence, that “there are a lot of drug dealers and gang members in the NLD campaign”. It added, again without evidence, that “most of the drug dealers are wearing local NLD party uniforms”. The post was taken down prior to the page’s removal. In addition to posting video clips and text, the page also frequently hosted talk shows, featuring a USDP MP, Tatmadaw supporters and hardline nationalists. MHT launched on November 18, 2019 – the same day that the International Court of Justice announced that it would hold public hearings on The Gambia’s accusation that Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya. That same day, MHT published a post criticising the ICJ case, calling it an accusation against all citizens, which has become a common rallying cry as the case has progressed. For a while, MHT existed on the fringes of Facebook, accumulating only a moderate following. It appeared to be connected to several other pages that are no longer active and have fewer followers: MOV News and Myanmar open voice – mov both use similar logos, or email addresses, and the same defunct website link. But MHT saw huge growth in recent months, accelerating as the election approaches. It had over 240,000 followers and more than 150,000 likes when it was taken down. The other pages remain online. https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/hard-talk-or-hate-speech-outlet-spread-disinformation-and-bigotry-under-guise-of-political-commentary/ 3/9