Mass media in Myanmar

The print, broadcast and online mass media in Myanmar (also known as Burma) 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 Myanmar 174th out of 178 in its 2010 Press Freedom Index, ahead of just Iran, Turkmenistan, North Korea, and Eritrea. In 2015, Myanmar moved up to 144th place, ahead of many of its ASEAN neighbours such as Singapore, as a result of political changes in the country.

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." Myanmar announced on 20 August 2012 that it would 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 wrote and said.

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.

In 1836, the country's first newspaper, The Maulmain Chronicle, was published followed by The Rangoon Chronicle in 1853, later renamed to The Rangoon Times. King Mindon was an advocate of press freedom and encouraged the creation of Myanmar's first Burmese-language newspaper, Yadanapon Naypyidaw Thadinsa (ရတနာပုံနေပြည်တော်သတင်းစာ) to report on him and the Queen, even if it portrayed them in a negative light.

After King Mindon, the media was useful for the resistance of colonialism. King Mindon also established the country's first indigenous press law, the Seventeen Articles, which safeguarded freedom of the press. Several Chinese, Burmese and English-language newspapers were permitted to report news from around the country and internationally, interviewing politicians and interacting with foreign journalists, contrary to most of Myanmar's south-east Asian neighbours.

Throughout the colonial era, there was a steady increase in the number publications in circulation. In 1911, there were 44 periodicals and newspapers in circulation, and 103 in 1921. By the end of the 1930s, there were over 200 newspapers and periodicals in circulation, double the amount in 1921. From the independence of Myanmar from the United Kingdom in 1948 until 1962, the country experienced a temporary period of democracy and free media. The country had one of the freest presses in Asia, with guarantees of freedom of the press in the 1947 Constitution. Journalist U Thaung founded Kyemon (The Mirror Daily) in 1957, and its 90,000 circulation was Myanmar's largest.

After the March 1962 coup d'état, journalists quickly responded by forming the Burma Press Council to protect press freedom. Within a month however, several journalists were arrested and publications shut down. By 1988, the number of newspapers had decreased from 30 to 8. The media gradually became the monopoly of the military junta under Ne Win.

The press environment remained tightly controlled in the country. Journalists were often harassed, arrested or jailed for reporting unfavourable news that reflected badly on the country or the regime. The media was also instructed to vilify opposition members. Burmese media acted as the mouthpiece for the regime, as when, during the anti-government protests in 2007, it labelled the protesters as "devils" and blamed foreign media for starting the protests. Several media outlets were closed down after refusing to publish propaganda. However, many outlets stopped publication as a mark of solidarity with the protesters.