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| Myanmar Press Council | |
|---|---|
| Name | Myanmar Press Council |
| Formation | 2015 |
| Type | Independent regulatory body |
| Headquarters | Yangon |
| Region served | Myanmar |
| Leader title | Chair |
Myanmar Press Council The Myanmar Press Council is a quasi-regulatory body formed to address press standards, complaints, and media ethics in Yangon, Naypyidaw, and across Myanmar. It operates at the intersection of journalistic practice involving actors such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Reporters Without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists, International Press Institute and domestic stakeholders including the Myanmar Journalists Network, Myanmar Newspaper Enterprise and various provincial newsrooms. The council has been central to debates involving the 2010 Burmese general election, the 2015 Myanmar general election, and the post-2011 reform era connected to figures like Aung San Suu Kyi and institutions such as the State Law and Order Restoration Council, Ministry of Information (Myanmar), and former regimes.
The council was established in the context of media liberalization following the dissolution of the State Law and Order Restoration Council and reforms under the Thein Sein administration, amid pressures from groups including Burma Media Association, Free Burma Rangers, Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and regional actors like Asian Human Rights Commission. Its formation drew on precedents such as the Press Council of India, British Press Council, and recommendations from scholars at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and teams advising the United Nations Development Programme in Myanmar. Key early events intersected with coverage of the Rohingya conflict, the 2012 Rakhine State riots, and responses to censorship laws originating in the Colonial Burma era.
The council’s stated mandate includes adjudicating complaints brought by outlets like The Irrawaddy, Mizzima News, The Myanmar Times, Eleven Media Group, and Frontier Myanmar; promoting codes of conduct influenced by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Code of Ethics of the International Federation of Journalists; and recommending reforms related to statutes such as the Printing and Publishing Enterprise Law, the Telecommunications Law (2013), and provisions of the Penal Code (Burma). It engages with training partners including Reuters Institute, BBC Media Action, Internews, Asia Foundation, and academic units like University of Yangon and Mandalay University to deliver workshops on libel, defamation, and standards linked to international instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The council comprises journalists, editors, academics, and retired judges drawn from bodies such as Myanmar Press Council (2015)-era nominations, with participation by members affiliated to Myanmar Journalists Union, Press Council of Myanmar (alternative bodies), and independent figures from outlets including DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma), Khonumthung Media Group, Unity Journalists Association of Myanmar, Kachin News Group, and ethnic media like Karen News. Chairs and secretaries have been compared in profiles alongside media figures from Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, reflecting regional networks through Asia Journalist Association and ASEAN Cooperation on Culture and Information.
The council’s relationship with ministries such as the Ministry of Information (Myanmar), lawmaking bodies like the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the Union Election Commission (Myanmar), and security institutions formerly associated with the Tatmadaw has been complex; it negotiates press access amid tensions involving outlets like Myanmar Now and 7Day News. International media organizations including Al Jazeera, The New York Times, The Guardian, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters have reported on its interventions. The council also interfaces with donor agencies such as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, European Union, United States Agency for International Development, and Japan International Cooperation Agency on capacity-building.
Notable actions include mediations over disputes involving The Irrawaddy and state-linked publishers, recommendations during coverage of the 2016–2017 Rohingya crisis, and responses to prosecutions under the Official Secrets Act (Myanmar) and sedition provisions. Controversies have involved alleged partiality in complaints handling, disputes with outlets like Mizzima News and The Myanmar Times over editorial independence, and critiques following council statements during high-profile events such as the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and subsequent restrictions affecting journalists from Democratic Voice of Burma, Radio Free Asia, and Voice of America.
The council operates against a backdrop of statutes including the Printing and Publishing Enterprise Law, the Telecommunications Law (2013), the Electronic Transactions Law (Myanmar), and provisions derived from colonial-era Defamation law in British Burma. Its ethical guidance references instruments such as the International Federation of Journalists code and comparative models from the Press Council of India and National Union of Journalists (UK). The council’s advisory capacity intersects with judicial processes in courts including the Supreme Court of Myanmar and regional judicial venues, where cases concerning outlets like Frontier Myanmar and Myanmar Now have raised questions about enforcement and freedom norms promoted by organizations such as Reporters Without Borders.
Criticism has come from NGOs including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Fortify Rights, and advocacy networks like Media Legal Defence Initiative and Committee to Protect Journalists, focusing on perceived limitations, politicization alleged by ethnic media groups like Kachinland News and Karen News, and insufficient protection against laws used during crises like the Rohingya conflict. International responses have included monitoring by UN Human Rights Council sessions, reports by International Crisis Group, and commentary from diplomatic missions such as those of United States, United Kingdom, and European Union delegations, urging reforms aligned with standards from UNESCO and the International Press Institute.
Category:Mass media in Myanmar