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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.[1] 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.[2]
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."[3][4] 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.[5]
In the aftermath of the coup d’état on 1 February 2021, the new regime has reversed previous efforts to reduce censorship, and the country's ranking in the Press Freedom Index has fallen down to 171st out of 180 in its 2024 ranking.[6]
- ^ Press Freedom Index 2010 Archived 29 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Reporters Without Borders, 20 October 2010
- ^ "PRESS FREEDOM INDEX 2015". Reporters without Borders. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ Kyodo (9 October 2011). "Myanmar censorship chief calls for lifting of press scrutiny". Mainichi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
- ^ Harvey, Rachel (8 October 2011). "Burma censor chief calls for more media freedom". BBC News.
- ^ "Burma Abolishes Censorship". The Daily Beast. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ "2024 World Press Freedom Index – journalism under political pressure | RSF". rsf.org. Retrieved 23 September 2024.