Reporting by Myanmar-based media during the first two weeks of the conflict in Rakhine State relied too heavily on government sources for their coverage to be considered accurate or objective, a recent report by the Myanmar Institute for Democracy claims.
The report surveyed the use of news sources by 12 Myanmar-based media outlets from the beginning of the conflict on August 25 until September 8. It was produced with the aim of improving the credibility and quality of local news by encouraging independent verification and the use of a diversity of news sources.
The 12 outlets included in the report were MRTV, Myawaddy TV, DVB, Up to Date, Voice of Myanmar, BBC Burmese, Myanmar Ahlin, Eleven, The Voice, 7Day, Irrawaddy, and Mizzima. Of these, four (MRTV, Myawaddy TV, Voice of Myanmar, and Myanmar Ahlin) are state-owned.
“Media coverage of domestic media, both state-owned and privately-owned, used the news released by the Information Committee, the State Counselor's office and the Office of Commander in Chief as major sources during the initial stage of the conflict,” the report said. “Almost all the domestic media – state media as well as private ones – were not able to reach the conflict area and access the news sources.”
