The mental strain of war reporting in Burma

Reporting on the war in Burma comes at a cost. Since the February 2021 military coup d’état, over 200 journalists have been arrested. Approximately 60 journalists remain behind bars. The military has killed at least seven journalists. Many more have fled their homelands and are forced to work in exile from Burma’s neighbouring countries. 

Regardless of where they report from, journalists covering the atrocities of the military junta are paying a further price: their mental health. 

Inter Pares collaborated with Matthew Pearson, a journalism professor at Carleton University, to deliver capacity-building workshops on trauma-informed reporting and self-care for Indigenous journalists from Burma.  Journalists from five Inter Pares-supported media organizations along the Thailand-Burma border participated in Matthew’s workshops. While many participants are based in Thailand for their safety, a few reporters made the perilous journey to the border from war-torn areas in Burma just to participate.

“The workshop taught me to prioritize my well-being by taking time for self-care and openly discussing issues with colleagues dealing with stress or PTSD. We work to create a positive environment for everyone,” says Sai Muang, editor in chief of Shan Herald Agency for News.

Between deadly airstrikes, human rights abuses, and the massive amount of people constantly fleeing to survive, Indigenous journalists from Burma report on harrowing events every day. But it’s not only exposure to the subject matter that wreaks havoc on their mental health. “[Our reporters] are living in very unsafe surroundings. “They are worried they will be arrested, they do not know freedom of movement,” one editor told Matthew after the workshop. “These kinds of situations make them traumatized.”

Support for Indigenous media groups and women journalists are key components of Inter Pares’ programming in Burma. It is essential that conflict-affected people have access to accurate information, in their own languages. Indigenous perspectives also need to be represented in the news and analysis coming out of Burma for the world to get a full picture of the conflict. 

The psychological price journalists pay is significant. Matthew’s workshops are one way Inter Pares supports them in this challenging and vital work. Despite the costs, reporters from Burma are resolute in the role they play in the struggle for peace and democracy.

Our program is undertaken in partnership with the Government of Canada.