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Censorship is alive and well in Myanmar despite all the enthusiasm surrounding the promises of reforms by Nay Pyi Daw's leaders that there would be no press censorship in the country from now on.

Unfortunately the truth inside Myanmar tells a different story. Local journalists have condemned the return of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD), which has halted indefinitely the publication of two weeklies, The Voice and The Envoy. The publications allegedly violated the so-called 2011 Order No 44, a PSRD measure that prevents articles being published without prior approval.

Of course, freedom of expression is a still a contentious issue in Myanmar society. The ruling administration has a long history of gagging the media and restricting public expressions of free speech. Nay Pyi Daw obviously is not used to the type of scrutiny that the media in freer societies are able to apply.

If it is not careful, if such censorship continues unabated, Myanmar could be become a laughing stock in the eyes of the world. One can understand why the highest authorities there are not happy with the reporting on a cabinet reshuffle, which led to the ban on the two weeklies. In Myanmar politics, the naming of new ministers, especially in the Cabinet, is indicative of the makeup of the future administration.

In that sense, it is important that the media keep the public abreast of what is going on. News about Cabinet portfolios and matters of public interest such as malfeasance should, of course, make up the normal headlines, as they do in any open society.

If Myanmar wants to move forward on the road of reform and democratisation, the whole government apparatus had better get used to media insight on political activities and the reshuffling of politicians to new appointments. Otherwise the country could backslide on the progress made so far, which has been little short of a miracle.

If the publication ban continues, it will send the wrong signal to the international community - that things aren't really what they seem inside the country. This could have adverse effects on Myanmar's future plans and the intentions of others.

At the moment, due to the positive reform template, Western and Asian countries have rushed towards the once-isolated country. Lest we forgot, less than a year and half ago, Myanmar was still the subject of condemnation from the majority of UN members.

Myanmar should reconsider its decision to censor its media. The new media law, to be enacted later in the year, will become an important instrument as the country continues with its overall reforms. Therefore it must not be jeopardised.

International media organisations have been assisting their counterparts in Myanmar to ensure that the media law is modern and conducive to the country's effort to open up and promote freedom of expression. Already Nay Pyi Daw has surprised critics about its new level of openness. Without the recent ban on the two weeklies, media freedom in Myanmar was ranking higher than before, within the Asean context.

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Myanmar: Old habits die hard for the powerful

Dozens of journalists marched in Yangon on Saturday to protest against the suspension of two journals amid fears that officials might be backing off pledges to ease strict junta-era censorship laws.

Journalists wearing shirts bearing their campaign slogan "Stop Killing Press", march in Yangon on Saturday, an event that would have been unheard of two years ago.

The reporters, many wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Stop Killing Press" in Burmese and English, marched to several sites across Yangon, including the two publishing houses behind the suspended weeklies.

Stifling censorship was one of the key symbols of junta-led Myanmar, where even seemingly innocuous details were scrubbed from public discussion and publications were frequently pulled for comments deemed damaging to the authoritarian rulers.

The government had recently taken a lighter touch with some of the less controversial publications as part of reforms sweeping the former army-ruled nation, prompting some editors to test the boundaries of the new found freedoms.

In June Tint Swe, head of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department (PSRD), told AFP there "will be no press scrutiny job" from the end of that month, also insisting there would be "no monitoring" of local journals and magazines.

A petition by the newly formed press freedom committee called for an end to all "oppressive" media laws.

"We have seven demands which we are sending in a letter to the president to remove the oppressive laws covering the media," Zaw Thet Htwe, a spokesman for the independent committee told AFP on phone.

The demands include an immediate lifting of suspensions of the publications, scrapping censorship and a promise to consult journalists on the crafting of a new media law, he added.

The editor of the Voice Weekly, Kyaw Min Swe, last week said the ban on his publication related to the front-page story on a cabinet reshuffle and cartoons criticising the current media freedoms in the country. A more open climate has encouraged private weekly news publications publish an increasingly bold range of stories, including those about opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose very name was taboo in the past.

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Media protest in Yangon

By: Agence France-Presse August 4, 2012 6:26 PM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

YANGON - Dozens of journalists marched in Myanmar's main city Saturday to protest the suspension of two journals amid fears officials are rowing back on pledges to ease strict junta-era censorship laws, an AFP reporter said.

The Voice Weekly and The Envoy were suspended last week for failing to submit stories for pre-publication scrutiny, the chief censor told AFP Saturday, adding the "temporary suspension" may last for a fortnight.

The reporters, many wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Stop Killing (the) Press" in Burmese and English marched to several sites across Yangon, including the two publishing houses behind the suspended weeklies.

Stifling censorship was one of the key symbols of junta-led Myanmar, where even seemingly innocuous details were scrubbed from public discussion and publications were frequently pulled for comments deemed damaging to the authoritarian rulers.

The government had recently taken a lighter touch on some of the less controversial publications as part of reforms sweeping the former army-ruled nation, prompting some editors to test the boundaries of the newfound freedoms.

In June Tint Swe, head of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department (PSRD), told AFP there "will be no press scrutiny job" from the end of that month, also insisting there will "be no monitoring" of local journals and magazines.

A petition by the newly-formed press freedom committee called for an end to all "oppressive" media laws.

"We have seven demands which we are sending in a letter to the president to remove the oppressive laws covering the media," Zaw Thet Htwe, a spokesman for the independent committee told AFP on phone.

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Myanmar journalists protest vs censorship, march on streets

Myanmar's newly assertive press corps rallied Saturday against the suspension of two weekly magazines in a once unthinkable act of defiance against government censors.

Dressed in black T-shirts that read "Stop Killing Media," about 60 journalists held a petition drive to collect signatures from members of the media. The petition, addressed to President Thein Sein, calls for an end to censorship.

Thein Sein has eased censorship as part of sweeping reforms after decades of repressive military rule, but some forms of control still exist, as authorities made clear by suspending the Voice Weekly and Envoy this past week.

The Press Scrutiny Board informed the two weeklies that their publications were suspended for violating regulations, but did not explain further.

Reporters at the publications said they suspected the suspensions were linked to articles speculating about the details of an anticipated Cabinet reshuffle. The flourishing of press freedom has brought serious investigative reporting as well as sensationalism, both of which make the government uncomfortable.

A day after the suspension, nearly 100 journalists formed a group called the Committee for Freedom of the Press, which organized Saturday's rally in which journalists went to six media offices to gather signatures for the petition.

"News media are still being censored," says the petition drafted by the committee. "The recent suspension of (the two publications) shows the threats media face and the negative signs that exist despite the democratization process of Myanmar."

Journalists at the event called it historic.

"I've been working in media for 14 years, and I've never seen anything like this," said Kyaw Naing, an editor from Voice Weekly. "We've never had the opportunity to speak our minds on press freedoms."

But in a sign of the limitations that still exist, censors declared that information about Saturday's event was not suitable for publication.

Originally posted here:
Myanmar Journalists Demand End to Censorship

The media is fuming over Twitters decision to suspend the account of a British journalist who used the micro-blogging site to toss barbs at NBCs decision to time-delay its Olympic coverage over the weekend. The episode raises questions about free speech and corporate control of social media platforms. (Updated, Tuesday 9:30am)

For anyone who missed it, the brouhaha began this morning when sports site Deadspin reported that Twitter had cut off Guy Adams, an LA-based reporter for The Independent.Adams has been a standard bearer for the new #nbcfail hashtag and used his account to rattle off a series of British-inflected tirades about NBCs time delay: Sneak peak my arse;tosspot; Matt Lauer would do well to shut up, wouldnt he? and so on.

Adams apparently crossed a line when he published the email address of NBC executive Gary Zenkel and told followers to Tell him what u think. NBC complained to Twitter and shortly after the micro-blog site suspended Adams account.

Critics have since called attention to the fact that Twitter has partnered with NBCs parent company to promote the games, and suggested that the companies decided to shut down Adams account as an act of reprisal.

In an email message to Adams, Twitter explained the account had been suspended because he had violated terms of service that forbid disclosing private information like a persons telephone number or private email address. Deadspin and others have noted that gary.zenkel@nbcuni.com is a corporate address.

So who is right? Did Adams overstep a boundary or are Twitter and NBC wrongfully censoring a journalist? Well, from a legal point of view, Twitter is in the clear. The companys terms of service make it plain that it can boot users off the site anytime and for any reason.

Twitters moral position is a lot more shaky. Its reason for tossing Adams is flimsy (the email he printed was not private) and, worse, they simply caused him to disappear altogether. If you search @guyadams on Twitter, the company will suggest users with similar handles but the original Guy Adams has simply vanished in the same way that disgraced communists would vanish from Kremlin photographs.

This policy of disappearing people without a trace is unhealthy and something Twitter should reconsider. The site has bravely opposed police gag orders and published a groundbreaking transparency report to highlight government censorship.

In the future, Twitter should show who it is barring from the site and explain why. In the meantime, it should give Guy Adams his account back.

Update: The Telegraph reported Tuesday that NBC claims that it was Twitter who informed their social media department about Adams tweets and informed them how to file a complaint. Meanwhile, respected social media journalist Danny Sullivan has pointed out that Gary Zenkels email address was not widely available. Other are questioning the appropriateness of using Twitter to initiate email bombing. As of Tuesday morning, Twitter has remained silent in the face of what appears to be its biggest PR crisis to date.

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Twitter snuffs an Olympics critic: smart play or censorship?