11/22/22, 4:58 PM The ‘extraordinary evolution of Myanmar media’ | Frontier Myanmar “It’s not surprising that what is left of our independent media after suffering from a year of violent censorship is primarily focused on covering the SAC’s repression of the public. Nevertheless, it would be useful to see more media analysis of the NUG too, given that increased public awareness also leads to more public engagement and better decision-making,” said Ma Yin Yadanar Thein from Free Expression Myanmar. Ko Thura Maung*, a Myanmar-focused analyst, echoed her views. “The overwhelming majority of people and media support the NUG, and want them to win. But the reality is there is also a culture that has emerged that the NUG should not be criticised ever for their failings. Any criticism is met with strong social media reaction, and constructive criticism is typically not welcomed,” he told Frontier via Signal on April 23. There are also significant challenges facing independent media to get the story right in the post-coup era, which is limiting the type, quality and volume of stories that are getting published by professional media outlets. Fact-checking may require finding multiple sources willing to confirm events to the journalist, when it is now often difficult to find even one person willing to talk to media. Basic journalism tasks like conducting interviews now pose a security risk for both the source and the reporter. A senior editor from a Myanmar media outlet who has worked in the industry for over a decade spoke to Frontier online on April 21 anonymously due to fears for his security. “It’s one of the basics to identify yourself as a journalist before an interview, but you can’t identify yourself now. That’s difficult for building trust between the journalists and their sources,” he said. “There are times where it’s difficult to get the facts, so it’s hard to present a story. There are also times when there are hard facts with no source but you have to publish the story. There are sometimes sources but few facts.” Robinson from Nikkei Asia noted the rise of citizen journalists who capture many of the important stories and footage on the ground, and a “strong trend” of smaller local publications stepping up, especially in the ethnic areas such as the Mekong News, Chindwin Times and the Kantarwaddy Times. “There is also much more funding available for these outlets, as well as a new sense of unity as it seems so many of these online publications, commentaries, and images and videos are against the regime. You could say independent media is alive and thriving – thanks to the coup,” she said. With both sides of the media continuing to focus their attention on pro-and-anti-regime stories, complexity is the victim. While pro-military outlets are focused on overt propaganda, it’s up to the independent media to show they understand nuance and can guide readers through politically challenging times. https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-extraordinary-evolution-of-myanmar-media/ 4/9