Given the constraints that may prevent journalists from attending a full series of
training sessions, it may also be advantageous to explore innovative self-directed
learning methods. This can be in the form of creating pop culture materials that
simulate emergency situations through mediums such as interactive comic books or
mobile video games. Video games for social change have witnessed a rise in popularity
in recent years, as can be seen in games in the vein of NeoCab (2019), a narrative
game about ride-hailing drivers; CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience (2020), a
survival simulation of homelessness; or the game Taksa by EngageMedia (forthcoming
2024), a narrative game about navigating through information muddle in an oligarchydominated media landscape.
Integral to these efforts is the active participation of journalists in the design, drawing
upon their firsthand experiences of such high-pressure encounters. It is necessary to
give journalists space to decide for themselves what aspects of security are relevant.
They should lead initiatives, with trainers serving as facilitators.
Tools and devices
Facebook is a double-edged sword. While the digital security environment tends to be
critical toward Facebook, the platform remains an important outlet to quickly disperse
news to a large audience. The citizen journalists depend on Facebook for their
reporting, as do many news outlets. Specific to the Myanmar setting, journalists also
rely on a Facebook presence to provide a semblance of normalcy to curious inspectors
and onlookers.
Practices need to become established community-wide. Changing the collective
behaviour of groups or a community cannot be done through training alone, and must
adjust to realities on the ground.
Rapid-response emergency assistance groups are already available to address cases
like loss of access to accounts or devices due to hacking or arrest. However, their
reach is limited. One journalist (#1) noted that this is due to those support groups
relying on email as a communication channel. While we have not conducted a
thorough investigation on the most practical and secure platform for journalists, some
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