Online media for peace: promoting cross-cultural dialogue among Myanmar ethnic media groups
Myanmar was once described as the site of “one of Asia’s—if not the world’s—longest ethnic-based conflict since the country’s independence in 1948”. There are 135 distinct ethnic groups throughout the country, and recent studies have cited media as a “driver of conflict” due to inaccurate reporting, misinformation, bias and preference for conflict stories.
News media could play a key role in informing and educating different ethnic groups about their commonalities and differences, leading to greater understanding and tolerance. Dialogue between media practitioners, bloggers and citizens from different ethnic backgrounds might foster peace and reconciliation. In order to build a sustainable peace process, it is crucial to involve all stakeholders in conflict-affected communities. Community-based ethnic media groups can facilitate this process by allowing for the expression of these diverse voices.
To maximize the peace-promoting capacity of ethnic media, there is a need for a platform on which the various ethnic media groups can share information about their ethnic communities. This project therefore proposes to set up a website, Facebook and Twitter accounts, and blogs. These tools would allow for immediacy, unlimited and rich media content, interactivity, and wide reach. They will go a long way in promoting mutual understanding and the development of culture-sensitive values and reporting practices.
The project activities are completed. Two editorial trainings were conducted by media professionals for 30 ethnic media groups (15 each). The first took place in Yangon from 18-23 December 2014, and the second in Mandalay from 13-18 January 2015. A webmaster has developed two websites (http://www.bnionline.net/ and http://burmese.bnionline.net/) and created a Facebook account (link here) which serve as an information sharing platform for emerging ethnic media groups in Myanmar, both BNI members and non-members. Both websites are already online and in use but still in the finalization process. BNI also proposed to collect data on the ethnic media landscape in Myanmar and sent the report “Ethnic Media Mapping” which was presented at the Third Ethnic Media Conference at Hakha (8 march 2015). It will be continuously updated by BNI.
The project’s capacity-building and network-strengthening activities has helped boost diverse ethnic voices, as well as the dignity and equity with regard to ethnic minorities, ultimately contributing to a peaceful democratic transition in Myanmar. From an organizational perspective, BNI was able to expand its network of partners, building up its own capacity as well as that of other ethnic media groups in the long run.