11/22/22, 4:58 PM The ‘extraordinary evolution of Myanmar media’ | Frontier Myanmar demonisation of the free press has really made the journalists look more heroic in the eyes of the public,” he said on April 22. The senior editor Frontier spoke with said people became more open-minded about consuming media during the years before the coup when press was relatively free. He noted the public’s ability to really question the validity of what they were seeing online only developed after the boom in mobile phones and affordable internet plans which enabled people to get more information and form their own opinion. “After the coup, it seemed like the media is all the citizens have to depend on to get any sort of news. This was also why the military junta suspended some outlets. And with the changing political landscape in Myanmar, the citizens have grown to trust that the media will be a force which can give them information they can no longer access [from the junta],” he said. The international community has responded by condemning the attacks on the press in various forums, including a public statement by the Media Freedom Coalition on February 4 this year. It called on the military to “end its obstruction of the right of people in Myanmar to freedom of expression, both online and offline”. The coalition is made up of 29 member states including the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Japan and others. More can be done, according to Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, who spoke with Frontier via email on April 22. “Media freedom activists need to act to make Myanmar a poster child for shoddy, rights abusing treatment of the media, and demand that concerted efforts be made to end this repression.” *denotes a pseudonym has been used for safety reasons More stories Dancing with dictators: The humanitarian dilemma in Myanmar International aid agencies say they need to play by the junta’s rules to serve vulnerable communities, but critics say they’re legitimising the regime for limited gain and ignoring informal channels. https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-extraordinary-evolution-of-myanmar-media/ 6/9