6.1. Discrimination within the newsroom The challenge faced by women is embedded within some newsroom cultures and goes unnoticed by some men. While 56% of women recognised that attacks against them were distinct in nature, only 36% of their male colleagues shared this view. This lack of internal recognition may exacerbate the isolation of women journalists, who may face harassment from colleagues ranging from a lack of professional respect to being treated as sexual objects. One editor stated: “When women journalists work, they are shown less respect from the community.” Another editor noted that “women journalists often face sexual advances from the community.” For ethnic minority and LGBT+ journalists, digital attacks are often combined with exclusionary rhetoric. For the 2% of the media identifying as LGBT+, identity was regarded as the primary vector for a digital attack, including from colleagues. One editor stated: “As an LGBT journalist, harassment from colleagues is still common.” 7. Conclusion The findings of this report demonstrate that for Myanmar’s independent media, the 2025–6 election cycle was not just a political event, but a stress test that the global digital ecosystem failed. The digital attacks documented in this report and characterised by systemic interference, algorithmic erasure, and financial strangulation, remain in place long after the polls have closed. The survival of truth in Myanmar now depends on a fundamental shift in how digital platforms and the international community engage with media in conflict. We are moving past the era where commitments to human rights alone are sufficient. To prevent the decline of the independent media, platforms must move toward localised, human-centred moderation systems and inclusive monetisation protocols that recognise the unique status of media in exile. Without immediate intervention to dismantle these digital barriers, the military’s goal of a news-free Myanmar will be achieved, not by their own hand alone, but through the inadvertent cooperation of the platforms the world relies on for information. The choice for platforms and donors is now clear: adapt to the reality of the digital attacks or witness the erasure of the voices holding power to account. Page 18 of 19