MYANMAR: Independent media booming

High growth rate of privately owned publications marks need for news and entertainment outside of state-run media

Bangkok Post
Friday, December 9, 2005

As Myanmar's civil servants packed their bags and began moving from Yangon, the capital, to the remote town of Pyinmana last month, the country's turgid state-owned daily newspapers made no mention of the dramatic relocation at all.

Instead, residents first read of the decampment in the privately owned weekly news journals, which were permitted to report the government's terse press announcement of its departure.

Those first to carry the news -- Seven Days, Good News and Yangon Times -- quickly sold out.

It was a so-called "scoop" for Myanmar's burgeoning private media industry, which has expanded rapidly in recent years to tap the population's thirst for information and entertainment.

"The state newspapers are only the official news, and people don't want to read that, but the public journals have all the updated news," said a Yangon taxi driver, who buys two or three news journals a week.

Though tiny compared with the US$1.8 billion (S$3 billion) spent on media advertising in neighbouring Thailand so far this year, Myanmar's US$15 million annual advertising spend has nevertheless been sufficient to sustain more than 80 per cent of the privately owned weekly journals.

While most popular publications focus on astrology, sports and celebrity gossip, an increasing number try to cover serious news and information on sensitive social issues such as HIV/Aids.

All publications are subject to censorship by the Press Scrutiny Department.

"We want a free press but we want responsibility and discipline," said a government official familiar with the censorship regime. "We don't want something like (British tabloid) The Sun."

The military regime has guidelines to warn editors what could draw the censors' red pen, such as matters that affect "national interest."

Politics and criticism of the government are widely understood to be taboo.

Media bosses say they face plenty of hurdles guessing what will be acceptable. Editors complain that the censorship guidelines are so broad their interpretation can vary enormously.

"It changes day by day," said the owner of a business publication. "One week a topic is okay, the next week it is not."

Recently, articles about rising cement prices, restrictions on private sector banks, rising border trade and taxis reducing their running hours due to higher fuel prices were all deemed "inappropriate" for publication.

The Information Ministry recently tightened its rules on media sources after a story about the sale of a state-owned hotel, cleared by the censors, infuriated the Tourism Ministry which did not want the news published.

Now, reporters are required to name their source for any news involving a ministry and to obtain a letter approving the proposed story's publication.

It all adds up to a lot of headaches. But for those who persevere, there can be rewards. In a stagnant economy, private publishing is one of Myanmar's few growth sectors. Sales of some private publications far exceed sales of the official newspapers. But an economic slowdown, rising prices and competition have put pressure on advertising revenues and newsstand sales.

One media owner said his monthly business magazine had profits of about US$2,000 an issue, while an affiliated news journal made US$700-US$1,000 a week. It may be measly by world standards but a princely sum in a country where the average government servant earns US$15 a month.

Date Posted: 12/9/2005