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Myanmar gov't vows to cooperate to improving media sector

Xinhua, June 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Myanmar government has vowed to cooperate with individuals and organizations to improve the country's media sector, affirming its commitment to the sectoral development, an official report said Thursday.

Welcoming a report titled "Assessment of Media Development in Myanmar " based on UNESCO's Media Development Indicators, Minister of Information Pe Myint appraised at a ceremony the launching of the report, saying that the recommendation of the first in-depth study by International Media Support (IMS) and UNESCO are in conformity with the government's democratization policy.

The minister said that the study has recommended a review of the current media law and judiciary branch and encouraged the emergence of diversity and the development of ethnic media and gender equality.

The report is considered a first way to get good ideas to overcome the weakness of Myanmar media, he further said.

Recommendations of the report covered legal reform to promote freedom of expression and information, developing public service broadcasters and community media, strengthening media self-regulatory framework, fostering journalism education , particularly outside Yangon and introducing media literacy programs.

Recalling that Myanmar's media institutions have seen progress during the previous government's term of office from 2011 to 2016, he commented that the current situation has not yet reached a satisfactory level.

"We hope that the report will help inform the new government's media reform strategy to continue a positive development of independent and pluralistic media in Myanmar," said IMS Program Manager in Yangon Glen Swanson.

The UNESCO-IMS report speaks directly to the challenge by identifying gap and key priorities to guide the reform of the media sector in five major areas, namely legal and regulatory framework, plurality and diversity of media, media as a reform for democratic discourse, professional capacity building, and infrastructural capacity.

Meanwhile, the information minister has asked the recently-assigned spokespersons of 21 ministries out of 22 to provide freedom of information to the media, stressing the need to be transparent concerning the people in reporting and replying inquiries. Enditem