Myanmar Media Historically and the Challenges of Transition 41 interviewers Nai Nai and Jane Madlyn McElhone about the challenges facing journalists in the new political environment. Apart from the state apparatus, non-state actors — in particular, Buddhist hardliners — have also used the laws to harass individuals. Journalist Swe Win of Myanmar Now is among those who have been targeted by the radical Buddhist organization Ma Ba Tha, in his case using Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law. In March 2017, members of the punk band Rebel Riot were pressured to apologize to Ma Ba Tha over a photo posted on their Facebook page that showed them dressed up as Jesus, Shiva and Buddha during their performance. Band member Kyaw Thu Win was quoted as saying that they had been criticized online for “insulting” Buddhism (Hpraw Pan Lee 2017). The most high-profile case under the NLD administration by far, however, has been the arrest and conviction of the two Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, discussed at the beginning of this chapter. No other case has so clearly encapsulated the disappointment of the media community in the elected NLD representatives. This case demonstrates as well that the biggest test so far of the Thein Sein and NLD governments has undoubtably been the Rohingya crisis. Media and the Rohingya Situation More than any other crisis, the communal violence in Rakhine State that first erupted in 2012, and then intensified in 2017, has exposed tensions and schisms in the country and tested the extent and integrity of the political opening, including media freedom, free expression, and journalistic ethics and professionalism. This is especially the case when journalists tackle taboo issues such as religion, ethnic rights, the military and charges of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Journalists’ access to the affected areas in Rakhine State has been restricted, leading to reliance on official sources and distorted or incomplete coverage (Brooten and Verbruggen 2017; Frontier Myanmar 2016). Few Myanmar media outlets have covered violence committed against the Rohingya, and there is a widespread lack of self-critique among Myanmar journalists who merely repeat the official line (Ye Naing Moe, personal communication, 20 September 2017; see also Myanmar Institute for Democracy 2017). Myanmar media have been highly critical of foreign media, accusing them of an overemphasis on human rights and not enough on national 01 ch1-MyanmarMediaIT-5P.indd 41 8/4/19 10:29 am