Access to independent news in Myanmar has collapsed since 2021 coup, report finds

Mizzima

Public access to independent news in Myanmar has fallen sharply since the 2021 coup, with total monthly readership across 50 analyzed media outlets dropping 48% — from roughly 4.7 billion views in January 2021 to 2.4 billion in 2026 — according to a report by Human Rights Myanmar and IPCM titled “Suppressing Audiences During Myanmar’s Digital Coup”.

The report found that although independent media outlets have increased content production since the coup, their actual reach to the public has plummeted. Average views per individual post declined by 56% over the same period.

State-owned and pro-military outlets saw even steeper declines, the report found, with audience reach shrinking by as much as 76% overall. Channel 9 Myanmar lost 99% of its audience, Eleven Media lost 84%, and MRTV-4 declined by 62%.

According to the report, the military regime has used a range of methods to restrict the flow of information and weaken the connection between the public and independent media, including internet shutdowns, travel restrictions, and pressure on news sources — measures that have disproportionately affected people in conflict zones.

Independent media have continued documenting military operations, the safety of internally displaced persons (IDPs), and human rights abuses, the report said, but public access to that reporting remains increasingly constrained.

Diminished access to information directly affects people’s ability to make decisions about their daily survival and safety, the report concluded. It also warned that reduced access to information during electoral periods poses a serious threat to voting rights and the democratic process.