The print, broadcast and online mass media in Burma (also known as Myanmar) has undergone strict censorship and regulation since the 1962 Burmese coup d'état. The constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press; however, the government prohibits the exercise of these rights in practice. Reporters Without Borders ranked Burma 174th out of 178 in its 2010 Press Freedom Index, ahead of just Iran, Turkmenistan, North Korea, and Eritrea. In 2015, Burma moved up to 144th place, ahead of many of its ASEAN neighbours such as Singapore, as a result of political changes in the country.
There have been moves to lift censorship in the country. Tint Swe, head of the country's censorship body, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRB), told Radio Free Asia that censorship "should be abolished in the near future" as it is "non-existent in most other countries" and "not in harmony with democratic practices." Burma announced on 20 August 2012, that it will stop censoring media before publication. Newspapers and other outlets would no longer have to be approved by state censors, but journalists in the country could still face consequences for what they write and say.
History
19th century–1962
In 1836, the country's first newspaper, The Maulmain Chronicle, was published followed by The Rangoon Chronicle in 1853, later renamed to The Rangoon Times. King Mindon was an advocate of press freedom and encouraged the creation of Burma's first Burmese-language newspaper, Yadanapon Naypyidaw Thadinsa () to report on him and the Queen, even if it portrayed them in a negative light.
After King Mindon, the media was useful for the resistance of colonialism. King Mindon also established the country's first indigenous press law, the Seventeen Articles, which safeguarded freedom of the press. Several Chinese, Burmese and English-language newspapers were permitted to report news from around the country and internationally, interviewing politicians and interacting with foreign journalists, contrary to most of Burma's south-east Asian neighbours.
Throughout the colonial era, there was a steady increase in the number publications in circulation. In 1911, there were 44 periodicals and newspapers in circulation, and 103 in 1921. By the end of the 1930s, there were over 200 newspapers and periodicals in circulation, double the amount in 1921. From the independence of Burma from the United Kingdom in 1948 until 1962, the country experienced a temporary period of democracy and free media. The country had one of the freest presses in Asia, with guarantees of freedom of the press in the 1947 Constitution. Journalist U Thaung founded Kyemon (The Mirror Daily) in 1957, and its 90,000 circulation was Burma's largest.
Under hardline military rule (1962–2010) After the March 1962 coup d'état, journalists quickly responded by forming the Burma Press Council to protect press freedom. Within a month however, several journalists were arrested and publications shut down. By 1988, the number of newspapers had decreased from 30 to 8. The media gradually became the monopoly of the military junta under Ne Win.
The press environment remained tightly controlled in the country. Journalists were often harassed, arrested or jailed for reporting unfavourable news that reflected badly on the country or the regime. The media was also instructed to vilify opposition members. Burmese media acted as the mouthpiece for the regime, as when, during the anti-government protests in 2007, it labelled the protesters as "devils" and blamed foreign media for starting the protests. Several media outlets were closed down after refusing to publish propaganda. However, many outlets stopped publication as a mark of solidarity with the protesters.
Subjects out of bounds for journalists included discussions of democracy, the legitimacy of the regime, political corruption, HIV/AIDS, the aftermath of natural disasters and the national football team losing, though some attempted to hide criticism amongst words or images. Because the media is restricted from reporting negative events in this way, it could often be unreliable. Words by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi were rarely covered in the media. Similarly, references to the United Nations were rare, as the junta viewed the organisation of trying to overthrow the regime.