{"id":14295,"date":"2012-10-21T00:10:11","date_gmt":"2012-10-21T00:10:11","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2012-10-21T00:10:39","modified_gmt":"2012-10-21T00:10:39","slug":"Myanmar-state-media-to-become-public-service-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=14295","title":{"rendered":"Myanmar state media to become ‘public service’ press"},"content":{"rendered":"

Myanmar’s state newspapers, long mouthpieces of the country’s former junta and army hardliners, signaled a historic change in focus yesterday, announcing a plan to transform into “public service media”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three state-owned dailies — the English language New Light of Myanmar, its Burmese edition Myanma Alin and Kyemon (The Mirror)<\/strong> — are set for a revamp, with a new governing body, the newspapers reported.<\/p>\n

The new committee will “adopt necessary policies and programs, draw necessary ethics and principles… to transform (the newspapers) to public service media”, said the New Light of Myanmar.<\/p>\n

Myanmar’s state press has shown scant signs of modernizing<\/strong> — except for an increase in celebrity gossip — since the country began its reforms under a quasi-civilian regime last year.<\/p>\n

But the information ministry recently indicated a willingness to ease its grip on the government mouthpieces as changes bring new freedoms to the country’s private media<\/strong>, which was long muted by some of the world’s most draconian censorship.<\/p>\n

“In the past, state-owned media only represented the views of the government and the parliament. It was one-sided,”<\/strong> deputy information minister Ye Htut said, adding that the newspapers would be allowed to criticize government policy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The new governing body will slowly replace the information ministry in overseeing the state press<\/strong>, according to Ye Naing Moe, a freelance media trainer and one of the new committee’s members.<\/p>\n

He said the state newspapers used to be “very far from public service”, adding that now the priority would be to “amplify the voices of the voiceless people and minorities”.<\/p>\n

In August, the former pariah state announced the end of pre-publication censorship<\/strong>, previously applied to everything from newspapers to song lyrics and even fairy tales. There is also a plan to allow private journals to publish daily from next year.<\/p>\n

Since taking office last year, President Thein Sein has overseen a number of dramatic moves in Myanmar<\/strong> such as the release of hundreds of political prisoners and democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi’s election to parliament.<\/p>\n

Source AP<\/em>
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