New opportunities for newspaper industry in Myanmar

World Today

The former military junta in Myanmar used to impose strict censorship and prohibit all non-state owned newspapers from publishing daily.

Now, as the new government continues to open up, the media industry has taken the reins back. CCTV’s Tang Bo reports on how the print media is adapting in this changing environment.

As the publisher of the Yangon Times Daily, Myanmar’s biggest private daily newspaper, Ko Ko is happy to see the old system of censorship lifted.

Two years ago, reports on a lack of electricity, or even floods were considered sensitive. What the media could say was severely restricted, and there were no privately-run daily newspapers.

According to the World Bank, the GDP per capita in Myanmar is around 800 to 1,000 U.S. dollars. Most people don’t have much money to spare. It’s hard for the country’s news publications to survive with such a low purchasing power.

Improving the economy has become a fundamental driver of the media industry’s growth.

New opportunities for newspaper industry

The former military junta in Myanmar used to prohibit all non-state owned newspapers from publishing daily, and imposed strict censorship.