Myanmar: Why Trusted Journalism Matters

Mizzima Editorial

As the world marks World News Day on 28 September, it is the time to reflect on the state of journalism in the crisis-plagued country of Myanmar where the bitter battle for truth is played out day by day.

The Myanmar junta that grabbed power in a coup in February 2021 is using misinformation, disinformation and the tools of the internet to paint a picture of regime legitimacy while attacking the militant and political resistance, and continuing to incarcerate the country’s democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Trusted journalism matters – hence the work of independent Myanmar news outlets is crucial in the effort to paint a balanced picture of developments in the country. Independents like Mizzima, Irrawaddy and Myanmar Now continue to publish news on a daily basis despite the difficulties and dangers, including funding to maintain operations. Over the past five years, the Myanmar junta has detained over 220 journalists from over 100 media outlets, charging 178 with a crime under 10 separate laws, mainly incitement, “false news”, and weaponized counter-terrorism provisions. Roughly two dozen remain in jail. Reporting in the country remains a dangerous occupation.

Despite this, Myanmar’s journalists and media outlets remain staunchly committed to building a robust information ecosystem for a public desperately seeking to know the truth about military oppression and daily attacks, and to combat the regime’s misinformation and propaganda.

Trusted journalism matters in Myanmar because, amid war, repression and an aggressive campaign of propaganda and disinformation, reliable information has become almost as important as food, medicine and security. Reporting by Mizzima repeatedly highlights that the battle for Myanmar is not being fought only with guns and bombs, but also through competing versions of reality.

Since the February 2021 coup, the Myanmar military has sought to control the information environment by revoking media licences, arresting journalists, restricting websites and imposing internet shutdowns.

This makes independent journalism particularly important because citizens need information that is not controlled by the authorities. Mizzima has described the situation as a media battle between independent news organisations attempting to report what is happening and a heavily organised military propaganda and disinformation campaign. The junta and its supporters have used social-media networks, including Telegram, to promote military narratives, attack critics and challenge unfavourable reporting.

Trusted journalism provides an essential means of checking those claims. In a country where access to information can vary dramatically according to geography, internet availability and military control, journalists and citizen journalists can provide information from areas that are otherwise difficult or impossible to reach. Mizzima has highlighted the role of citizen journalists who collect information from conflict areas and communities, often at considerable personal risk, before passing it to independent media organisations for verification and publication.

Trust, however, cannot simply be claimed; it has to be earned. Mizzima’s own code of ethics stresses verification, accuracy, independence, fairness and avoiding rumours or exaggeration. It specifically requires journalists to verify information and to identify information from anonymous sources as unverified when it cannot be independently confirmed. This is particularly important in a conflict where misinformation can cause panic, endanger civilians or damage the reputation of political and resistance groups.

Trusted journalism also matters beyond Myanmar’s borders. International governments, humanitarian organisations, diplomats, researchers and international media depend on credible information to understand what is happening inside the country. Without independent reporting, the outside world risks seeing Myanmar through the carefully managed lens of the military authorities. Mizzima’s stated mission is therefore not simply to publish news, but to contribute to freedom of expression and the free flow of information in the public interest.

Perhaps most importantly, trusted journalism preserves a historical record. In a conflict in which allegations of atrocities, displacement, arrests and abuses are frequently contested, credible reporting creates evidence of what communities have experienced. It gives victims and witnesses a voice and prevents events from simply disappearing into silence.

Mizzima’s reporting makes clear that Myanmar’s independent journalists are themselves operating under extraordinary pressure. Many have been forced into exile, while those working inside the country face surveillance, arrest and imprisonment. Yet their continued work demonstrates why trusted journalism matters: when governments attempt to control the narrative, independent journalists provide society with something fundamental—the ability to know, question and remember what is happening.