Reporting from the Darkness: Journalism and Media in Myanmar 2023 Q4 and Annual Report proxy to support the military as well. So in general, the number of journalists is getting less and less, but the number of media outlets is increasing. That’s our Myanmar media situation. Before the coup, we could transform into a business model-based independent media organisation, but now all of this has stopped, and we have to rely on grants and funding from international media organisations. Other media organisations are also in the same situation. The situation is very uncertain regarding finances and others, so what's your plan for managing challenges and difficulties? We have so much experience in managing the situation in times of crisis. So although there is no funding available for us, we will still continue to doing this. If we only look for money, we can do other work [instead], and my point here is we are not working for the money but for our passion. We do this because we want to do it. . . . But if we are to receive 50 percent of our 2024 financial plan, we know how to effectively run with that 50 percent to present and investigate news. Even if we do not get that 50 percent, we still know how to get our news published, for instance, by writing a blog. What about news coverage? It is important that we do not only overemphasise the ongoing conflict and fighting across the country. I understand that we need reporters and journalists more than ever, as the fighting is active in around 316 out of 336 total townships in Myanmar. Imagine the number of journalists to report on these. But there are issues such as social problems and economic crises that are also worth paying attention to. One of the weaknesses of Myanmar media is that it only pays attention to reports on ongoing fighting and conflict. This is a problem as well because if we only focus on conflicts, we don’t know other problems, such as economics, education, and potential solutions to these conflicts and issues. We don’t know where our future is heading. What will happen in a few years in the Myanmar media industry, based on your current assessment? I honestly don’t even know what will happen in 2024. We don't know, despite some trends or calculation. There is some concern for us regarding salaries for the whole year, and we have to 19