Article: https://psmag.com/social-justice/myanmar-is-cracking-down-on-the-media

This article discusses the severe prosecution of journalists and press freedom advocates throughout Myanmar. A decade ago, Myanmar was considered the most restricted country in the world when in comes to freedom of the press and media. Journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe appeared in court for violating a British Colonial law (the Official Secrets Act), where they may face 14 years in prison. The reason for imprisonment is due to the coverage of the brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine State, and forcing them into Bangladesh. This is described as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” The new deputy information minister, Aung Hla Tun, who monitors coverage on the issues involved in the country by saying “the greatest responsibility of media today in Myanmar is safeguarding our national image.” Therefore, the issue with media and freedom of the press roots with the problems of governance, and the hope to not soil the image of Myanmar to the rest of the world. If the issues revolving the exile Muslims, and other oppressive acts, were nonexistent, there would be no reason to monitor the media and the press. The solution is not within the resolution of freedom of media and press, but much deeper into the systematic oppression among its citizens.