Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Wednesday 6 October
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Location
wheelercentre.com
In February 2021, a military coup took place in Myanmar. In the months since, media freedoms have been increasingly eroded by the regime. Independent media outlets have had their licenses revoked, and journalists and citizens seen to be conducting any sort of news gathering activity are at risk of arrest and imprisonment. Mobile data and wifi services have been suspended, making it increasingly difficult for citizen journalists to utilise social media. As international media attention recedes, state violence, repression and coercion are no longer being reported on with the urgency they demand.
To shed light on the media blackout’s impact, both in Myanmar and abroad, we’ll hear from author Michelle Aung Thin, editor-in-exile of Myanmar Now Swe Win, and award-winning foreign correspondent Peter Greste. Together with host Zoe Daniel, they’ll discuss the importance of a free press in resistance to oppressive regimes.
What role does independent media play in keeping the world updated on the political situation in Myanmar? How can we best support suppressed media organisations and individuals? And what is required to refocus international attention on the violence inflicted by Myanmar’s military junta?
Presented in partnership with Amnesty International and Free Media Myanmar
Featuring
Swe Win
Swe Win is the editor-in-chief at Myanmar Now, an independent news agency that produces features and investigations in both Burmese and English. As a former seven-year political prisoner during the military regime, Swe Win has a deep understanding of the country’s troubled past and the need for democratic change. Prior to joining Myanmar Now, he set up an independent newspaper, The Yangon Globe, after junta-era media censorship was lifted in 2012. Before that, he worked for the exile-based Irrawaddy magazine.
Swe Win currently supervises the editorial and financial management of a 40-member editorial team based in Myanmar. He holds a master degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong and is a recipient of a presidential certificate of honour for social service through journalism (2016), European Union’s Schuman Award for human rights in 2017, Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2019, and the Shorenstein Journalism Award from the Standford University in 2021.
Peter Greste
Professor Peter Greste is an award-winning foreign correspondent who spent 25 years working for the BBC, Reuters and Al Jazeera in some of the world’s most volatile places. From Afghanistan to Latin American, Africa ...
Michelle Aung Thin
Dr Michelle Aung Thin was born in Rangoon, Burma (now known as Yangon and Myanmar respectively) and grew up in Ottawa, Canada. A novelist and essayist, she is the author of The Monsoon Bride, (Text 2011) and ...
Zoe Daniel
Zoe Daniel is a nationally distinguished journalist, foreign correspondent, author, speaker and former independent Federal Member for Goldstein. Zoe made history in 2022 as the ...