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INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS IN TRANSITION: A CASE STudY FROM MYANMAR HOw TO INFORM, EMpOwER, ANd IMpACT COMMuNITIES

Mon State, Myanmar Pilot Study Part tWO: additiOnal data analySiS

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INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS IN TR ANSITION: A CASE STudY FROM M YANMAR hOw TO INFORM, EMpOwER, ANd IMpACT COMMuNITIES

ExECuTIvE SuMMARY

Myanmar’s recent relaxing of political, economic, and social restrictions has provided a unique opportunity to conduct

research in Myanmar’s ethnic states. This report on Mon State’s information ecosystem is the first in a planned series of studies into the demographic, news media, and information dynamics that characterize Mon State as well as Myanmar’s six other ethnic states—Chin, Kachin, Kayah (Karenni), Kayin (Karen), Rakhine (Arakan), and Shan.

An information ecosystem is not a static entity; it is by nature constantly evolving and changing. Nor is it a discrete form; it can be defined at many levels, from global to national to community to interest-based groupings within communities. Any examination of an information ecosystem goes beyond traditional audience research on media access and consumption; it adds considerations of information needs and information creation and distribution as fluid systems that adapt and regenerate according to the broader developmental challenges and needs of a given community.

The report draws from quantitative and qualitative research commissioned by the Internews Center for Innovation & Learning (the Center) from December 16, 2012 to January 5, 2013 in Mon State, Myanmar. The research sampled respondents from across Mon State, and combines quantitative data from a 500 household survey covering urban, rural, non-conflict, and former conflict areas, with qualitative data from 12 focus group discussions and 24 key informant interviews in both non-conflict and former conflict areas.

The research focuses on three themes. Firstly, it identifies and maps the information environment in Mon State in terms of technology and media use across urban, rural, non-conflict, and former conflict geographic areas. Secondly, the flow of news and information is examined to see how individuals receive information and then make decisions about sharing it with others. Thirdly, the report examines the dynamics underlying the trust and influence of news and information among individuals in Mon State.

ABOuT THE AuTHORS

Andrew Wasuwongse is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations and International Economics, with a concentration in Southeast Asia Studies. While a research assistant for the SAIS Burma Study Group, he supported visits by three Burmese government delegations to Washington, DC, including officials from Myanmar’s Union Parliament, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Industry. He has worked as a consultant for World Vision Myanmar, where he led an assessment of education programs in six regions across Myanmar, and has served as an English teacher in Kachin State, Myanmar, and in Thailand on the Thai-Myanmar border. He speaks Thai and Burmese.

Alison Campbell is currently Internews’ Senior Director for Global Initiatives based in Washington, DC, overseeing Internews’ environmental, health and humanitarian programs. She recently relocated to the US from Asia, where she founded Internews Burma project in 2001, started the Internews Burma Journalism School and has been deeply involved in the recent exciting developments in the media scene in Burma/Myanmar over the last few years. With a background in both journalism and humanitarian relief, she specializes in the design and troubleshooting of media projects in conflict, post conflict, peace building and other transitional environments. Alison has worked in various capacities for Internews over the last 15 years, most recently as Regional Manager for Africa Programs overseeing projects in Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan. She also established the Internews program at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, providing a foundation for the important work that Internews still does in Rwanda. Before joining Internews, Alison worked in radio, print and television newsrooms in South Africa and in the UK before spending four years as a press officer for CARE, managing press relations and policy in humanitarian emergencies including Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Bosnia.

COvER pHOTOA villager reads a journal at a tea shop in

Ye Township, Kaw Dut Village.

ABOuT THE RESEARCH TEAM

Established in 1995, Myanmar Survey Research (MSR) is a market and social research company based in Yangon, Myanmar. MSR has produced over 650 research reports in the fields of social, market, and environmental research over the past 16 years for UN agencies, INGOs, and business organizations.

ABOuT INTERNEwS IN MYANMAR

Internews is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower local media worldwide to give people the news and information they need, the ability to connect and the means to make their voices heard. Internews provides communities with the resources to produce local news and information with integrity and independence.

With global expertise and reach, Internews trains both media professionals and citizen journalists, introduces innovative media solutions, increases coverage of vital issues and helps establish policies needed for open access to information.

The Internews Burma project opened its doors in January 2001 and has worked for the last 14 years to strengthen the capacity of Burmese media outlets both inside the country and within the exiled and international Burmese media community. Over the years Internews has provided comprehensive support for Burmese and ethnic language publications, websites, bloggers, broadcasters, editors, managers and publishers. This support includes training and mentoring in reporting on environment, human rights, elections, gender, policy issues, media management, media law, small grants and technical support for publishing and production. As part of this program, Internews operated the first in-residence journalism school for Burmese and ethnic reporters in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The school trained hundreds of journalists and media professionals, and equipped a new generation of Burmese and ethnic media professionals with the skills to work full-time. Internews trained and provided technical and financial support to more than 15 different local organizations, both along the border and inside the country. These organizations have gone on to play leading roles in disseminating quality news and information about Burma to the world and to the Burmese population alike. Internews’ work in Myanmar continues today, and has expanded beyond support for traditional media to include the country’s first-ever hackathon in 2014, which brought together 76 of the country’s most talented young developers, designers and entrepreneurs.

www.internews.org

part t wo: additional data analysis

http://www.internews.org

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INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS IN TR ANSITION: A CASE STudY FROM M YANMAR INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS IN TR ANSITION: A CASE STudY FROM M YANMARhOw TO INFORM, EMpOwER, ANd IMpACT COMMuNITIES hOw TO INFORM, EMpOwER, ANd IMpACT COMMuNITIES

In this study, news and information sources that are considered trusted—with trustworthiness defined in terms of a source’s accuracy and reliability—tended strongly to be the sources that were best-known and familiar to respondents. Few people indeed trust what they are not familiar with. As a result, friends and family ranked highest for trust, but perhaps surprisingly, so did state-owned media, such as MRTV (jointly-operated with the private Forever Group Ltd.) and Nay Pyi Daw Myanmar Radio National Service (Nay Pyi Daw Myanma Ah-Than). Overall, however, people in Mon State remain generally skeptical of the news they hear, a habit held-over from a time when information sources were few and rumors abundant. Most people regularly validate the news and information they hear against other sources, never fully trusting any source completely.

Findings around the reach and impact of formerly exiled (pro-democracy) media indicated little awareness of exiled print media. However, there is a solid recognition of shortwave international Burmese language services, and strikingly high recognition for Democratic Voice of Burma TV.

Serious consideration needs to be given to the more nuanced, and perhaps less rosy outlook brought to the surface by the ecosystem research responses on trust. Not only did state-owned radio show up as significantly better recognized and trusted than the international stations, but qualitative research revealed mixed or decreased trust in foreign news sources. This is primarily due to strong perceptions among some respondents of biased reporting on the conflict between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine State by foreign news media.

It is true to say that media content and media and information channels will always be primary factors of supply in any information ecosystem. However, it is necessary to guard against drawing conclusions about media access and “openness” based on a “production + distribution = better informed citizenry” model that cannot adequately account for the quality of the information available, or flow, trust and uptake factors in complex environments.

In Myanmar today there exists the risk that under the guise of increased media access, the formerly “information dark” ecosystems which prevailed across much of the country under military rule may be seamlessly replaced with “information lite” ecosystems in which unsophisticated media audiences consume primarily entertainment and “managed” news content. This sleight of hand would replicate the information ecosystems of the “disciplined democracies” of Singapore, Malaysia and China - to which Myanmar aspires - by (at best) doing nothing to foster the development of an informed citizenry and (at worst) perpetuating state influence over the architecture of public information and discourse.

For those who wish to see an increase in both the quantity and quality of content feeding into local information ecosystems as a way of enhancing development or democracy/governance goals, it will be important to temper runaway excitement about Myanmar’s “opening” with an understanding of some of the constraints and idiosyncrasies in the country’s national and local information ecosystems. It is the contention of this paper that a better understanding of the information ecosystem of any given community or population will be helpful in developing holistic strategies that harness dynamics in that ecosystem to improve the chances of information actually reaching its destination.

ExECuTIvE SuMMARY

There can be few places left in the world where almost half the population does not know what the internet is. The Mon State pilot research has particular value in attempting to describe the information ecosystem of a target community situated at an unprecedented tipping point in the history of a closed society. Key structural factors (governance, technology, economy) are changing suddenly, simultaneously exerting profound change in the ways in which citizens access and use information. Whilst experience drawn from other political transitions may be indicative of future trends in Myanmar, there has rarely been an opportunity to track and chart such sudden and extreme change, and establish a baseline before social media and other forces disrupt and transform the information environment.

Some of the key findings of this report are consistent with the current image of Myanmar opening its doors and airwaves to a brave new influx of information. More frequently there emerges a mixed picture as to access, and some thought-provoking findings around trust and flow of information.

The research indicates that, despite the high cost of mobile access in Myanmar at the time of this research, nearly half of all urban Mon State respondents have a mobile phone. This penetration would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Nevertheless, widespread lack of electricity continues to significantly hamper full mobile phone usage. Furthermore, only 2% of mobile phone users in Mon State use their phones to access the Internet. In the urban areas of Mon State, TV has replaced radio as the main source of news and information. However in rural locations, qualitative interviews indicated that TV is mainly used as an entertainment medium, not to access news and information. However, a large proportion of Mon State residents do not watch TV at all. Nearly half of the total sample said they had never watched TV (46%).

In rural and former conflict areas, radio is the most common source. Once information enters a community however, its flow is overwhelmingly face-to-face sharing through word of mouth. Moreover, this information flow largely takes place in the home (78% of respondents), and to immediate friends and family. Indeed, only 28% of respondents saw themselves as a source of news for the greater community, indicating that most information exchange tends to stay close to home.

dESpITE THE HIgH COST OF MOBIlE ACCESS IN MYANMAR AT THE TIME OF THIS RESEARCH, NEARlY HAlF OF All uRBAN MON STATE RESpONdENTS HAvE A MOBIlE pHONE

part t wo: additional data analysis part t wo: additional data analysis

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uSE OF MEdIA ANd TECHNOlOgY: KEY FINdINgS

∞ 67% of respondents in Mon State have a TV and DVD/VCD player in their home.

∞ TV use is highest in urban areas. In rural or former conflict areas, access to TV stations without a satellite connection is either challenging or not possible.

∞ Radio use has declined in Mon State overall as access to TV and electricity has improved.

∞ 77% of the sample did not have access to grid-connected electricity.

∞ 21% of respondents own a mobile phone. 54% of all urban respondents have a mobile phone in their household, while 47% own one themselves.

∞ Only 2% of mobile phone users use their phones to access the Internet.

∞ In former conflict areas, radio is the main preferred technology source for news and information.

∞ 90% or more of radio listeners have heard of the BBC, VOA, and RFA radio stations, but only 60% have listened to programs on them.

∞ 100% of radio listeners have heard of Nay Pyi Daw Myanmar Radio National Service, Myanmar’s state-run national radio service. 98% have listened to its programs.

∞ Two other domestic radio stations are highly popular, Padauk Myay and Shwe FM. Each are known by close to 90% of radio listeners and listened to by over 80%.

∞ Weekly journals and newspapers are typically only available in towns, and rarely in villages.

∞ 98% of respondents have never used the Internet. Over 70% either do not know what the Internet is or do not know how to use it.

F I G U R E 1F I G U R E 1ACCESS TO MEDIA DEVICES IN MON STATE(PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL SAMPLE THAT HAD THE FOLLOWING IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD)

BASE: 500 RESPONDENTS

DVD/VCDPLAYER

TV RADIO MOBILEPHONE

MP3PLAYER

LANDLINEPHONE

DIGITALCAMERA

INTERNET COMPUTER TABLETPC

67% 66%

59%

25%

6% 4% 4%2% 2% 1%

uSE OF MEdIA & TECHNOlOgYTABlE OF CONTENTS

ExECuTIvE SuMMARY 1

uSE OF MEdIA & TECHNOlOgY 5

USe Of Media and technOlOgy: Key findingS 5

acceSS tO Media deViceS – MOBile highly ValUed 6

liMited acceSSiBility tO electricity iMPactS USe – tWO thirdS Of MOn State are nOt cOnnected tO the grid 7

teleViSiOn – half Of MOn State reSidentS haVe neVer Watched 8

alMOSt all Watch tV in their OWn hOMe Or in the hOMe Of faMily Or neighBOrS 9

dOMeStic tV StatiOnS are the MOSt POPUlar 9

tV iS USed Mainly tO Watch MOVieS in rUral areaS 10

radiO 11

MOBile PhOneS 13

Falling prices, increasing access 13Networks 14Most people only use mobile phones to make calls 14Cost is a main barrier to mobile phone use 14Mobile phone use in former conflict areas 14

internet 15

Print Media 15

INFORMATION FlOwS 17

infOrMatiOn flOWS: Key findingS 17

Key infOrMatiOn SOUrceS 18

Where dOeS infOrMatiOn eXchange haPPen? 22

tyPeS Of neWS and infOrMatiOn Shared 23

MOSt PeOPle Share neWS infreQUently OUtSide Of the hOUSehOld 24

Key infOrMatiOn diSSeMinatOrS 24

uNdERSTANdINg TRuST & INFluENCE 25

UnderStanding trUSt and inflUence: Key findingS 25

MOSt trUSted SOUrceS tend tO Be the MOSt Well-KnOWn 26

trUSt in eXiled/diaSPOra Media 27

ValidatiOn Of neWS thrOUgh triangUlatiOn iS eSSential 29

infOrMatiOn flOW MaPPing 29

PART ONE: RESE ARCH FINDINGSPART T wO: ADDITIONAl DATA ANAlySIS

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lIMITEd ACCESSIBIlITY TO ElECTRICITY IMpACTS uSE – TwO THIRdS OF MON STATE ARE NOT CONNECTEd TO THE gRIdAccess to a regular electricity supply remains a critical infrastructure issue affecting Myanmar’s development, and has a strong impact on the access and use of new technology and media by respondents in Mon State. It is an important factor in explaining the differences in technology use between urban and rural respondents.

Of all respondents surveyed only 32% reported that their communities had access to grid-connected electricity, and only one quarter of these had access in their homes. Close to three-quarters reported access to electricity by generator (72%), while almost one-quarter reported access to electricity in their communities by solar power (22%).

FIGURE 3FIGURE 3

HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICITY SUPPLY(WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU HAVE WORKING IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD?)

Base: 100 urban respondents, 400 rural; 450 non-conflict, 50 former conflict area respondents

MAINS ELECTRICITY GENERATOR

TOTAL SAMPLE URBAN RURAL NON-CONFLICT FORMER CONFLICT

23%21%

58%

15% 15%

23% 26% 23%

2%

10%

“ AS ElECTRICITY SupplY BECOMES REgulAR, pEOplE MAINlY wATCH Tv. pEOplE IN plACES wITHOuT ElECTRICITY lISTEN TO THE RAdIO."U r b a n r e s p o n d e n t, Z ay ya r M o n Wa r d , K ya i K H t o t o W n s H i p

ACCESS TO MEdIA dEvICES – MOBIlE HIgHlY vAluEdAcross the state as might be expected there is significant variability in the levels of access to media devices, ranging from the urban parts of non-conflict areas down to rural former conflict areas broadly mirroring relative levels of affluence. Perhaps reflecting the great value of mobile communications and a clear signal of the future, despite the high expense and limited

utility of mobile phones, over half (54%) of urban respondents had access to a device in their home. In rural communities with even poorer accessibility, 18% have access to a mobile phone.

Use of technology and access to media devices varied across urban and rural locations and non-conflict and former conflict areas. In urban areas, use of all devices was predictably higher than in rural areas, with the exception of radios, as seen in Figure 2.

uSE OF MEdIA & TECHNOlOgY

F I G U R E 2F I G U R E 2

ACCESS TO MEDIA DEVICES(WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU HAVE WORKING IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD?)

Base: 100 urban respondents, 400 ruralBase: 450 non-conflict, 50 former conflict area respondents

DVD/VCDPLAYER

TV

RADIO

MOBILEPHONE

MP3PLAYER

LANDLINEPHONE

DIGITALCAMERA

INTERNET

COMPUTER

TABLET PC

NON-CONFLICT CONFLICT (FORMER) URBAN RURAL

50%69%

46%68%

48%60%

14%26%

6%6%

0%5%

8%4%

0%2%

2%2%

2%0.4%

DVD/VCDPLAYER

TV

MOBILEPHONE

RADIO

MP3PLAYER

LANDLINEPHONE

INTERNET

DIGITALCAMERA

COMPUTER

TABLET PC

62%85%

62%83%

18%54%

61%49%

4%15%

2%13%

1%6%

4%6%

1%4%

1%1%

part t wo: additional data analysispart one: rese arch findings

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uSE OF MEdIA ANd TECHNOlOgY

AlMOST All wATCH Tv IN THEIR OwN HOME OR IN THE HOME OF FAMIlY OR NEIgHBORS

Nearly all respondents who used TV as a news and information source watched TV either in their own home, another family member’s home, or in the home of a neighbor (92%). Only 4% relied on a TV in a tea shop for their source of news, while the remaining 4% reported that the TV they relied on was in a temple, shop, or other location. Compared to urban and non-conflict area respondents, individuals living in rural and former conflict area were slightly more dependent on sources outside the home to watch TV, but only by a margin of 5-10%.

dOMESTIC Tv STATIONS ARE THE MOST pOpulARAmong TV stations, four stations, all domestic, were recognized by nearly all respondents in Mon State who watched TV—Myanmar Television (MRTV), Myawaddy Television (MWD), Sky Net satellite TV, and MRTV 4. Each station was recognized by 90% or more of TV watchers. The foreign TV stations most recognized by TV watchers were DVB Burmese (71%), BBC World News (63%), VOA Burmese and RFA Burmese (each 59%).

family members and neighbors watch a movie on tV through Sky net

NO INTEREST IN TVNO TV SIGNAL

CAN’T AFFORDA TV

NO ELECTRICITY FORA TV

OTHER


WHAT IS THE MAINREASON YOU DO NOT

WATCH TV?

Base: 230 respondents who do not watch TV

48%24%

23%

4%

1%


THINK ABOUT THE TV WHERE YOU GET NEWSAND INFORMATION MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU. WHERE IS THIS TV LOCATED?

AT HOMEOTHER FAMILYMEMBER’SHOME

NEIGHBOR’SHOME

IN A TEA SHOP IN A SHOP

OTHER

Base: 270 respondents who watch TV

65%14%

13%

4% 2%1%

1%

MONASTERY OR TEMPLE

TElEvISION – HAlF OF MON STATE RESIdENTS HAvE NEvER wATCHEdA large proportion of Mon State residents do not watch TV at all. Nearly half of the total sample said they had never watched TV (46%). The least frequent viewers were respondents in former conflict areas, of whom 70% had never watched TV, followed by rural respondents (51%).

The most frequent reason cited was a lack of interest. Among urban respondents, lack of interest accounted for 84% of responses. Respondents who had never watched TV were predominantly female (65%), employed (59%), working at least 30 hours per week (68%), lower middle class (76%), and possessing less than a middle school-level education (80%).

Other frequently cited reasons for not watching TV were the lack of a TV signal, prohibitive cost, or the lack of electricity. The inability to watch TV because of a lack of signal was highest in former conflict areas (29%) and rural communities (27%). Cost was also a main factor. Among respondents living in former conflict areas, 43% reported they did not watch TV because they could not afford to buy one, while 24% of rural respondents reported the same.


COMMUNITY ELECTRICITY SUPPLY(WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU HAVE WORKING IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD?)

Base: 450 non-conflict area respondents, 50 for conflict area

ELECTRICITY VIAMAINS SUPPLY

ELECTRICITY BYGENERATOR

ELECTRICITY BYSOLAR POWER

NON-CONFLICT CONFLICT (FORMER)

35%

2%

73%

58%

18%

58%

Base: 100 urban respondents, 400 rural

ELECTRICITY VIAMAINS SUPPLY

ELECTRICITY BYGENERATOR

ELECTRICITY BYSOLAR POWER

URBAN RURAL

76%

21%

60%

74,5%

30%

20,3%


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RAdIOMost respondents who use the radio listened to a radio program within the past week (61%). Responses were highest among rural respondents (65%), compared to urban respondents (43%), and among non-conflict area respondents (62%), compared to former conflict area respondents (50%).

Of those who had never listened to a radio program, the percentage was highest in urban areas (44%), followed by former conflict areas (36%), non-conflict areas (26%), and rural areas (23%). Of the total sample, close to one third of respondents (27%) had never listened to the radio.

Echoing a pattern of low engagement, the primary reason almost all urban respondents cited for not listening to the radio was a lack of interest.

In rural areas, about two-thirds of those who did not listen to the radio said it was due to a lack of interest, while the remaining third said they could not afford to buy one. Although the price for a radio ranged between 2,500 and 7,000 kyats ($3 and $8 USD) at the time of research, price combined with cost and necessity to travel to the nearest town to buy one put personal radios out of reach for about 20% of all former conflict area respondents.

“ I lISTEN TO THE RAdIO duRINg THE RAINY SEASON FOR THE wEATHER. IT IS BROAdCASTEd pROMpTlY. FOR Tv, SOMETIMES wE HAvE BlACKOuTS ANd IT IS INCONvENIENT TO TuRN ON THE gENERATOR. IT IS IMpORTANT TO KNOw ABOuT STORMS, SO I lISTEN TO THE RAdIO ONlY FOR wEATHER REpORTS. RAdIO IS gOOd FOR THAT."U r b a n r e s p o n d e n t, Z a r ya r M o n Wa r d , K ya i K H t o t o W n s H i p

radios for sale in a shop in Mawlamyine town

Tv IS uSEd MAINlY TO wATCH MOvIES IN RuRAl AREAS In former conflict areas, qualitative respondents said their villages typically had electricity from 6-10pm each day, and this was the time when most people turned on their TVs. Households that owned generators watched TV until late at night, mostly watching movies or listening to music. Many of these households had a TV but no antenna to enable them to watch either local or foreign stations. One respondent mentioned that some TV owners are able to access more than 70 channels from Myanmar and around the world with a satellite connection.

Qualitative research indicated that as access to TV and electricity in Mon State has improved, radio use has declined. Respondents reported that radio listeners are now primarily those who cannot afford to buy a TV, the elderly who still prefer the radio, or villagers in remote communities where TV reception is poor and there is little or no electricity.

“ BECAuSE wE HAvE A Tv, wE CAN SHOw MOvIES TO OuR guESTS ANd FRIENdS."r U r a l r e s p o n d e n t, M o K e K a M a U t V i l l a g e , K ya i K H t o t o W n s H i p

“ wE wATCH Tv BECAuSE wE wANT TO ACCESS INFORMATION ABOuT OuR COuNTRY."r U r a l r e s p o n d e n t, yo g o V i l l a g e , M aW l a M y i n e t o W n s H i p

“ EvEN THOugH wE ARE ABlE TO RECEIvE THE MRTv STATION HERE, MOST pEOplE dON'T wATCH IT."F o r M e r c o n F l i c t a r e a r e s p o n d e n t, pa l a i n g K e e V i l l a g e , y e t o W n s H i p

community members watch a movie in a village video theater


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MOBIlE pHONES FAllINg pRICES, INCREASINg ACCESSUse of mobile phones has increased primarily due to large decreases in SIM card prices, together with slowly improving network coverage in recent years. As recently as 2010, the cost of a mobile phone SIM card was equal to about $2,500 USD. At the time of research, the price had fallen to $230. With the introduction of SIM cards costing as little as 1,500 kyats ($2 USD) by the government in April 2013, mobile phone use stands to increase much more. However, because the supply introduced by the government was insufficient to meet existing high demand, these low-cost SIM cards have been found selling on the black market for as much as 70,000 kyats ($70 USD). In qualitative interviews, respondents reported a recent change which enabled

the purchase of phones by paying in installments which had increased phone ownership.

Qualitative respondents agreed that communication has vastly improved from previous years. The installation of more mobile phone towers has made reception better and improved communication in areas that were previously without any reception.

Respondents also described how mobile phones are becoming more popular in Myanmar as cheap handsets, particularly ones made in China, are now available for 20,000 Kyats ($20 USD). While richer urban families prefer to use name-brand smartphones with touch screens and Internet access, the average mobile phone user used a Chinese handset that did not support Internet access. On average, minute top-up cards could be purchased for 10,000 Kyats, and depending on use, could last up to three months.

“ YEARS AgO wE HAd TO gO TO [THE NEAREST TOwN] TO uSE MOBIlE pHONES. NOw wE CAN uSE THEM IN OuR vIllAgE. IN OuR OpINION THE COMMuNICATION SYSTEMS ARE MORE dEvElOpEd THAN BEFORE."r U r a l r e s p o n d e n t, M o K e K a M a U t V i l l a g e , K ya i K H t o t o W n s H i p

“ THE FAMIlIES wHO HAvE SONS ANd dAugHTERS wORKINg ABROAd ARE NOw BuYINg THAI MOBIlE pHONES TO STAY IN TOuCH wITH THEIR FAMIlY MEMBERS."F o r M e r c o n F l i c t a r e a r e s p o n d e n t, K aW d U t V i l l a g e , y e t o W n s H i p

Mobile phone shop Mawlamyaing - Pan Bae dan Ward


RADIO STATIONS MOST RECOGNIZED AND LISTENED TO IN MON STATE

Base: 364 respondents who listen to the radio

NAY PYI DAWMYANMAR RADIO

NATIONAL SERVICE

BBC WORLDSERVICE

PADAUK MYAY RADIOSTATION

VOICE OF AMERICA(VOA)

RADIO FREE ASIA(RFA)

SHWE FM

YANGON CITY89.0 FM

MANDALAY CITY87.9 FM

DEMOCRATIC VOICEOF BURMA (DVB)

NAY PYI DAWMYANMAR RADIO

98.0 FM (IN YANGON)

HEARD OF THE STATION LISTENED TO THE STATION

98%100%

62%96%

81%93%

61%91%

60%90%

85%89%

33%65%

19%57%

51%51%

OTHER

FEB MYANMARRADIO

ALL INDIA RADIO(AIR)

ABC/RADIOAUSTRALIA

CHINA RADIO INTERNATIONAL(CRI) - BEIJING

93%33%

56%22%

72%20%

62%19%

63%16%

45%43%


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INTERNETInternet access is available in most urban areas, but people living in rural or former conflict areas have to go to the nearest town.

Internet access on mobile phones has been gaining in popularity, respondents said, but only for those who can afford to buy a smartphone, which can cost between 150,000 and 200,000 Kyats ($170-$230 USD), while most mobile users can only afford phones that cost 45,000 to 50,000 Kyats ($50-$60 USD).

pRINT MEdIAMany magazines, daily newspapers, and weekly news journals are currently available in Mon State, providing news and information about local, national, and international events. Qualitative respondents noted government newspapers such as The Mirror and The New Light of Myanmar were the only sources of information in the past, but now a large number of publications exist. Respondents mentioned that journals were more interesting than newspapers because they had better news, better writing, as well as pictures and graphics, which added value to the news content.

Of the sample, 36% said they used newspapers, magazines, and journals as an information source. Use of print media was highest among urban respondents (61%) compared to rural respondents (30%), and lowest among former conflict area respondents (24%) compared to non-conflict area respondents (38%). Most readers of print media (54%) had read a publication within the previous seven days, while 32% had done so during the previous month. The remaining 14% read publications less frequently.

For the remaining 64% of the sample that did not use print media, the most frequently cited reason was a lack of interest. Many respondents prefer TV or radio when available, which provide more immediate news updates than Myanmar’s weekly journal publications (at the time of research, only Myanmar’s state-owned newspapers were published on a daily basis). Many respondents also cited an inability to get print media in their areas or the inability to read.

“ NEwSpApERS ARE NOT AS INFORMATIvE AS jOuRNAlS."U r b a n r e s p o n d e n t, pa b e d a n Wa r d , M aW l a M y i n e t o W n s H i p

internet access is available in most urban areas, but people living in rural or former conflict areas have to go to the nearest town.

NETwORKSThe majority of mobile phone users in Mon State connect to a Burmese network. In rural areas along the border with Thailand, however, respondents made use of Thai mobile phones and access to the Thai mobile network. 12% of rural mobile phone users used a phone on a Thai network. Burmese with family members working abroad also purchased Thai mobile phones to communicate with their loved ones.

MOST pEOplE ONlY uSE MOBIlE pHONES TO MAKE CAllS

COST IS A MAIN BARRIER TO MOBIlE pHONE uSEOf respondents who did not use a mobile phone 77% said the reason was because they could not afford to buy one. Among other reasons for not using mobile phones, 8% of respondents said they did not use one because they did not have a network in their area, while former conflict areas held the largest percentage of respondents who either did not know how to use a mobile phone (14%) or had no interest in mobile phones (14%).

MOBIlE pHONE uSE IN FORMER CONFlICT AREAS

In Ye Township, which is close to Thailand, villagers are able to use the Thai mobile network. Using Thai mobile phones, villagers are able to call other countries cheaply, with one minute costing only 300 Kyats ($0.30 USD)


HOW OFTEN DO YOU USE A MOBILE PHONEFOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING?

RECEIVING CALLS

MAKING CALLS

SENDING TEXT MESSAGES (SMS)

RECEIVING TEXT MESSAGES (SMS)

ACCESSING THE INTERNET

TAKING A PHOTO

SENDING A PHOTO TO

OTHER PEOPLE

RECORDING AUDIO ON

YOUR MOBILE PHONE

TAKING A VIDEO

ONCEA

WEEK

LESS THANONCE A

WEEK

20%

19%

4%

4%

0%

3%

2%

1%

1%

DAILY

19%

18%

3%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

56%

53%

2%

3%

0%

9%

1%

2%

8%

CAN’T AFFORD TO BUY

NO INTEREST IN MOBILEPHONES

NO MOBILENETWORKIN MY AREA

DON’T KNOW HOWTO USE

CAN’T AFFORDTO CHARGE ONE


WHAT IS THE MAINREASON YOU DO

NOT USE A MOBILE PHONE?

Base: 183 respondents who do not use mobile phones

77%

8%

9%

5%

1%

HAVE A LANDLINE,SO DON’T NEED


16 17


INFORMATION FlOwS: KEY FINdINgS

∞ The most common sources of news and information are radio, friends and family, and TV.

∞ TV is the most important source in urban areas (used by 62% of urban respondents), while radio is the most important source in rural areas (used by 62% of rural respondents).

∞ In the former conflict areas where access to news and information is most limited, trusted interpersonal sources are the most used.

∞ Currently, just 1% of respondents use the Internet to get news and information. Qualitative interviews indicated that university students use the Internet more than any other demographic.

∞ Information is most often shared by word of mouth (88% of respondents), while just 5% of respondents share news over the phone. Just 1% share by email or SMS.

∞ The most frequently shared types of information are disaster news or weather forecasts (shared by 79% of respondents), health information (67%), religious information (57%), and news about ethnic conflict (54%).

∞ Less than one-third of respondents saw themselves as a disseminator of news and information to other members of the community. Most news is passed on to friends and family.

∞ Only 2% of the sample—business owners, professionals, military, and students—strongly viewed themselves as a source of information for others.

∞ Over 26% of respondents in former conflict areas do not share news and information at all. However, qualitative interviews revealed an active network of information exchange before the ceasefire to protect villagers from the location of landmines or potential battle zones.

∞ Despite the prominence of monks in recent political events in Myanmar, such as the 2007 “Saffron Revolution,” respondents in Mon State did not consider monks to be a source of political news or information, and only sought them out for religious information.

INFORMATION FlOwSuSE OF MEdIA ANd TECHNOlOgY

F I G U R E 1 2F I G U R E 1 2

TWO GOVERNMENT-RUN PAPERS ARE AMONGTHE HIGHEST RECOGNIZED AND READPUBLICATIONS IN MON STATE

MYANMARAHLIN

(NEWSPAPER)

HEARD OF READ

99%

82%

KYAYMON(NEWSPAPER)

98%

83%

KYAYMON(NEWSPAPER)

60%

12%

THE NEW LIGHTOF MYANMAR(NEWSPAPER)

27%

14%


MOST HEARD OF AND READ PUBLICATIONS

Base: 181 respondents who use print media as an information source

82%99%

83%98%

71%77%

54%77%

62%76%

64%73%

69%70%

64%63%

12%60%

42%59%

50%58%

47%54%

61%52%

MYANMAR AHLIN(NEWSPAPER)

HEARD OF READ

KYAYMON(NEWSPAPER)

PYI MYANMAR(JOURNAL)

AH PYO SIN(MAGAZINE)

POPULAR(JOURNAL)

7 DAYS NEWS(JOURNAL)

MA HAY THI(MAGAZINE)

D WAVE(JOURNAL)

YADANABON(NEWSPAPER)

KUMUDRA(JOURNAL)

RA MA NYA(JOURNAL)

INN ARR(JOURNAL)

WEEKLYELEVENNEWS


RECOGNITION AND READERSHIP OF EXILEDMEDIA IN MON STATE IS MODERATE TO LOW

Base: 181 respondents who use print media as an information source

64%63%

55%43%

17%13%

30%11%

32%10%

25%7%

D WAVE(JOURNAL)

HEARD OF READ

THAN LWINTIMES (JOURNAL)

IRRAWADDY(MAGAZINE)

IRRAWADDY(JOURNAL)

MIZZIMA NEWS(MAGAZINE)

GUIDING STAR/SA-NONG-TIME

(NEWSPAPER)


18 19



COMPARISON OF KEY INFORMATION SOURCES BY LOCATION

Base: 100 urban vs. 400 rural respondents;

46%59%

48%44%

20%43%

16%24%

6%14%

6%13%

6%10%

0%3%

4%2%

2%2%

0%1%

RADIO

FRIENDS ORFAMILY

MEMBERS

TV

WORKCOLLEAGUES

OR CLASSMATES

JOURNALS

NEWSPAPERSOR

MAGAZINES

COMMUNITYELDERS

SMS

LOCALGOVERNMENT

OFFICIALS

CASUALACQUAINTANCES

INTERNET

MONKSAND

NUNS


(PERCENTAGE THAT USES EACH SOURCE DAILY OR AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK)

2%

36%62%

43%50%

62%39%

7%39%

8%32%

23%26%

1%9%

10%5%

0%4%

1%4%

1%3%

TV

FRIENDS ORFAMILY

MEMBERS

RADIO

JOURNALS

NEWSPAPERSOR

MAGAZINES

WORKCOLLEAGUES

OR CLASSMATES

SMS

COMMUNITYELDERS

INTERNET

CASUALACQUAINTANCES

MONKSAND

NUNS

LOCALGOVERNMENT

OFFICIALS

URBAN RURAL

2%1%1%

INFORMATION FlOwS

KEY INFORMATION SOuRCESIn Mon State, news and information flow to communities through three main information sources: radio, friends or family members, and TV. Print media or other individuals in the community are far less frequent sources. At the bottom end, very few people in Mon State—less than 2%—get their news or information from the Internet, monks or nuns, local officials, or by text message.

“ I gET THE INFORMATION ANd NEwS wE wANT TO KNOw FROM THE RAdIO ANd BY wORd OF MOuTH."r U r a l r e s p o n d e n t, n g a p yaW taW V i l l a g e , K ya i K H t o t o W n s H i p

In Figure 14, a cross-comparison of information sources by geographic location reveals several key distinctions. In urban areas, TV is clearly the most important source for news and information. Print

media is also used much more frequently in urban settings than in rural areas (62% vs. 36%). Use of text messaging and the Internet, while still very low, are also higher in urban than rural areas. However, the use of friends or family members as sources of news and information remain relatively uniform across all areas.

In rural areas, radio serves as the most frequently used source for information, where it is used on a daily or weekly basis by over 60% of rural respondents. TV use is much lower, used by just over one-third of rural respondents, due to challenges posed by lower financial resources and lower access to electricity. Use of print media in rural areas is low. Community elders and local government officials are used as sources of news and information in rural areas slightly more than by urban dwellers.

In former conflict areas, use of almost all sources is less than in other locations, except for family and friends. In remote areas with low access to electricity, respondents relied much more heavily on word of mouth through people—primarily family and friends.

F I G U R E 1 3F I G U R E 1 3MOST FREQUENTLY USED INFORMATION SOURCES(PEOPLE GET NEWS FROM MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES. FOR EACH ONEOF THE SOURCES I MENTION, PLEASE TELL ME WHETHER YOU USE THAT SOURCE TO GET NEWS AND INFORMATION EVERY DAY OR MOST DAYSOF THE WEEK, AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, LESS THAN ONCE A WEEK OR WHETHER YOU DO NOT USE IT FOR INFORMATION AT ALL)(PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS THAT USE EACH SOURCE DAILY OR AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK TO GET NEWS AND INFORMATION)

BASE: 500 RESPONDENTS

RADIO FRIENDS ORFAMILY

MEMBERS

TV WORKCOLLEAGUES

OR CLASSMATES

JOURNALS NEWS-PAPERS

OR MAGAZINES

COMMUNITYELDERS

SMS LOCALGOVERN-

MENTOFFICIALS

CASUALACQUAIN-

TANCES

MONKSOR

NUNS

INTERNET

57%

45%

41%

24%

13% 13% 9%

2% 2% 2% 1% 1%


20 21



FIRST SOURCE TO GET MORE INFORMATION

Base: 450 non-conflict vs. 50 former conflict area respondents

(WHEN YOU HEAR THERE IS A MAJOR EVENT THAT YOU THINK IS IMPORTANT, WHAT DO YOU DO TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION? WHO OR WHAT WOULD BE THE FIRST SOURCE YOU WOULD GO TO FIND OUT INFORMATION?)

38%24%FRIENDS OR FAMILY

MEMBERS


26%21%MYANMAR RADIO

NATIONALSERVICE

10%

11%

14%MYANMAR TELEVISION

(MRTV)

2%

5%

SHWE FM

2%

4%

SKY NETCHANNELS

0%

3%

BBC

0%

3%

INTERNATIONALFOREIGN TV

2%

2%

JOURNALS WRITTENINSIDE MYANMAR

0%

2%

MRTV (4) (LOCALCHANNEL)

2%

2%

VOA

4%

2%

COMMUNITYELDERS

8%

2%

WORK COLLEAGUESOR CLASSMATES

0%RFA

INFORMATION FlOwS


FIRST SOURCE TO GET MORE INFORMATION

Base: 100 urban vs. 400 rural respondents

(WHEN YOU HEAR THERE IS A MAJOR EVENT THAT YOU THINK IS IMPORTANT, WHAT DO YOU DO TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION? WHO OR WHAT WOULD BE THE FIRST SOURCE YOU WOULD GO TO FIND OUT INFORMATION?)

26%7%MYANMAR RADIO

NATIONALSERVICE

URBAN RURAL

25%28%FRIENDS OR FAMILY

MEMBERS

12%21%MYANMAR TELEVISION

(MRTV)

11%4% SHWE FM

4%8% SKY NETCHANNELS

3%5% BBC

3%2%WORK COLLEAGUES

OR CLASSMATES

3%1% COMMUNITYELDERS

3%1% VOA

2%0% RFA

2%3%MRTV (4) (LOCAL

CHANNEL)

2%7% INTERNATIONALFOREIGN TV

1%9%JOURNALS WRITTEN

INSIDE MYANMAR


22 23


TYpES OF NEwS ANd INFORMATION SHAREdFour types of news and information were shared by over half of the Mon State sample: disaster news (including weather forecasts), health news, religious news, and news about ethnic conflict.

These trends held relatively true across urban and rural and non-conflict and former conflict locations. Similar to previous trends, respondents in rural or former conflict areas tended to share less news and information than others.

Figure 19 shows the percentage of each segment of the sample that shared news about political topics. The segment that shared this type of news the most is highlighted in light green, while respondents who shared the least are marked in light blue. The aforementioned trend holds for each news type except for news about the NLD and human rights, which were shared by a higher percentage of respondents in the former conflict areas. Surprisingly, respondents in former conflict areas shared news about ethnic conflict the least.

“ I AM INTERESTEd IN pOlITICAl NEwS. I REAd dE HlAINg (d.wAvE) jOuRNAl ANd I SHARE THE NEwS wITH OTHERS.”U r b a n r e s p o n d e n t, Z aya r M o n Wa r d , K ya i K H t o t o W n s H i p


WHAT KIND OF NEWS AND INFORMATION DOYOU COMMUNICATE TO OTHERS?

67%

79%DISASTER NEWS/WEATHER FORECASTS

57%

HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE

54%

RELIGION

49%

NEWS ABOUT ETHNICCONFLICT

47%

NEWS ABOUT MONSTATE

47%

NEWS ABOUTBURMA

41%

BUSINESS NEWS ANDTHE ECONOMY

29%

NEWS ABOUT AUNGSAN SUU KYI

NEWS ABOUT PRESIDENTTHEIN SEIN

base: 500 respondents

INFORMATION FlOwS

wHERE dOES INFORMATION ExCHANgE HAppEN?After receiving information from a news source like TV or the radio, people in Mon State tend to share news by word of mouth in a variety of locations. Qualitative respondents explained how people in their village sometimes visited the local monastery, which had a TV and satellite dish. Respondents said that people saw news on the monastery’s TV about the conflict in Rakhine State and an earthquake in Sagaing Region, and then shared this news with other people in the village at tea shops, markets, weddings, public ceremonies, and at home. The sharing of news and information often happens organically, whenever friends and peers meet or come across each other.

“ THE TEASHOp IS THE KEY, IMpORTANT plACE TO ExCHANgE OR SHARE NEwS AMONg THE vIllAgERS IN OuR vIllAgE. "r U r a l r e s p o n d e n t, F o r M e r c o n F l i c t a r e a , K aW d U t V i l l a g e , y e t o W n s H i p


PLACES WHERE NEWS IS SHARED

Base: 100 urban, 400 rural respondents; 450 non-conflict, 50 former conflict area respondents

64%80% HOME

8%22% WORK

6%20% STREET

6%14% TEMPLE

10%10% TEASHOP

16%10% FARMINGFIELD


(WHERE IN GENERAL IS NEWS AND INFORMATION PASSED ON, FOR EXAMPLE, AT HOME, IN PUBLIC PLACES SUCH AS MARKETS,AT THE TEMPLE ETC.?)

79%75% HOME

18%31% WORK

7%25% TEASHOP

14%13% TEMPLE

20%13% STREET

2%5% SOCIALEVENTS

12%4% FARMINGFIELD

URBAN RURAL


24 25


uNdERSTANdINg TRuST ANd INFluENCE: KEY FINdINgS

∞ The sources of information people in Mon State trust the most are friends and family, Nay Pyi Daw Myanmar Radio National Service, MRTV, and Shwe FM.

∞ Several factors underlie decisions about trust. Respondents had a high degree of trust in news from a familiar source, news presented with video or photographs, news spread by word of mouth, and news shared by elders and local authorities.

∞ The newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations that are trusted by the most people in Mon State are all government-owned. The most trusted media sources in Mon State are also the ones that have the greatest reach and coverage. These stations are Nay Pyi Daw Myanmar National Radio Service (trusted by 94% of users), MRTV (91%), and the newspapers Kyaymon (76%) and Myanmar Ahlin (73%).

∞ Trust in foreign vs. domestic new sources is changing. 46% of respondents said they trust information from news sources inside Myanmar more than three years ago. In general, 81% of all respondents said they trust information from sources inside Myanmar more than foreign sources.

∞ Trust in government news sources appears to be increasing due to reforms that have enabled government media to be more open. Another primary reason, however, is the belief among many respondents that foreign reporting of the July 2012 conflict between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine State was biased and discriminatory towards Buddhists. These respondents noted that reporting by government media was more fair, and as a result, they have begun to trust foreign media much less than before.

uNdERSTANdINg TRuST & INFluENCE

∞ Despite this, respondents repeatedly said that they did not trust any news source completely. Instead, most respondents felt the need to always validate information against other sources. A common theme was that triangulation was essential prior to fully trusting any information or passing such information on to others.

The easing of censorship and other restrictions on news media providers has elevated the position of domestic news sources. Many people now feel that domestic news content, including content from government-owned news sources, has improved greatly, causing a shift away from foreign media providers for news on events inside Myanmar. As one respondent noted, “reporters are writing real news now.”

In this study, news and information sources that are considered trusted—with trustworthiness defined in terms of a source’s accuracy and reliability—tended strongly to be the sources that were best known and familiar to respondents. Few people indeed trust what they are not familiar with. As a result, friends and family ranked highest for trust, but perhaps surprisingly, so did state-owned media, such as MRTV (jointly-operated with the private Forever Group Ltd.) and Nay Pyi Daw Myanmar Radio National Service (Nay Pyi Daw Myanma Ah-Than). Both have significant coverage and reach, and perhaps do not “appear” government-owned, due to the variety of programming and content they provide.

INFORMATION FlOwS

“ THOSE wHO wOuld lIKE TO gET NEwS COME TO ME. THEY dON’T gO TO OTHERS. THEY COME ANd ASK ME MOSTlY wHEN wE ARE SITTINg AT TEA SHOpS. dIFFERENT pEOplE gATHER ANd CHAT. "r U r a l r e s p o n d e n t, F o r M e r c o n F l i c t a r e a , l a b o r s U p e r V i s o r , pa l a i n g g y i V i l l a g e , y e t o W n s H i p

MOST pEOplE SHARE NEwS INFREQuENTlY OuTSIdE OF THE HOuSEHOld Most respondents share news and information outside of the household infrequently. 45% of the sample said they discussed or shared news and information with family, friends, or their social network outside of their own household only every few months, while an additional 12% said they never shared news at all.

KEY INFORMATION dISSEMINATORSLess than one-third of respondents viewed themselves as a source for news and information for other members of the community. Out of the entire sample, only 28% saw themselves as a news source in the community, while 70% did not. Furthermore, only 1% of respondents viewed themselves strongly as an information source. Those who strongly identified as being viewed as a source of news and information for their community tended to be either prominent community members, such as business owners, professionals, or military personnel, or highly educated people, such as students.


PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WHO SHARE NEWS ABOUT POLITICAL TOPICS

NEWS ABOUT ETHNIC CONFLICT

NEWS ABOUT AUNG SAN SUU KYI

NEWS ABOUT PRESIDENT THEIN SEIN

POLITICAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS ABOUT POLITICAL DISSIDENTS

NEWS OF THE OPPOSITION PARTY (NLD)

NEWS ABOUT LOCAL POLITICS

HUMAN RIGHTS

NEWS ABOUT THE MILITARY

CONFLICT(FORMER)

NON-CONFLICTRURALURBAN

Base: 100 urban, 400 rural respondents; 450 non-conflict, 50 former conflict area respondents

28%

38%

18%

24%

8%

8%

22%

12%

18%

2%

57%

42%

30%

23%

18%

12%

10%

20%

10%

4%

53%

40%

28%

21%

15%

8%

9%

19%

9%

2%

58%

47%

33%

32%

28%

25%

20%

20%

16%

9%


26 27



CHANGES IN TRUST IN NEWS SOURCES ACROSS ETHNICITIESQUESTION: “HAS YOUR TRUST IN INFORMATION FROM INSIDE MYANMAR CHANGED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS? DO YOU TRUSTINFORMATION FROM MYANMAR MORE, LESS, OR THE SAME AS BEFORE?”

BASE: 188 BAMAR RESPONDENTS, 89 KAYIN, 23 SHAN, 151 MON, 2 RAKHINE, 1 KAYAH, 1 CHINESE, 26 SOUTH ASIAN, 9 OTHER, AND 10 MIXED

BAMAR

Same as before

I trust Myanmar sources more

I trust Myanmar sources less

Don't know

51%

38%

2%

9%

KAREN

42%

46%

0%

12%

SHAN

17%

83%

0%

0%

MON

40%

52%

1%

7%

RAKHINE

0%

100%

0%

0%

KARENNI(KAYAH)

0%

0%

0%

100%

CHINESE

0%

100%

0%

0%

INDIAN/PAKISTANI

/BANGLADESHI/NEPALI

35%

46%

19%

0%

OTHER

22%

44%

0%

33%

MIXED

70%

20%

0%

10%

As shown in Figure 21 above, nearly half of all respondents trust Myanmar news sources more now than they did three years ago. In the survey results, this trend was apparent regardless of geographic location and across ethnicities and religious affiliations, with the exception of Muslims and respondents of South Asian descent. While these groups still saw an increase in trust of Myanmar news sources, likely due to Myanmar’s recent political reforms, the two groups also saw a greater increase than other groups in their trust of foreign news sources.

“ I TRuST THE NEwS BROAdCASTEd wITHIN MYANMAR MORE. THE NEwS HAS BECOME MORE TRANSpARENT ANd REpORTERS ARE wRITINg REAl NEwS NOw."U r b a n r e s p o n d e n t, pa b e d a n Wa r d , M aW l a M y i n e t o W n s H i p

TRuST IN ExIlEd /dIASpORA MEdIAExiled/diaspora media are generally not well known in Mon State. The lower rates of trust in the figures presented below are primarily a reflection of large percentages of respondents who had never heard of the station. In most cases, around 25% also did not know whether or not they trusted the station, most likely due to a lack of a strong familiarity with the station.

Among the exiled/diaspora media, TV had highest levels of trust and, correspondingly, the lowest levels of those who simply did not know the station. DVB-TV was most trusted, followed by VOA and RFA TV.

A large majority of respondents from Mon State were not aware of exiled/diaspora publications. Relative levels of trust in exiled/diaspora print media appears to be reasonably high among those aware of the publications and certainly few were actively distrusted. The most trusted, Than Lwin Times


MOST TRuSTEd SOuRCES TENd TO BE THE MOST wEll-KNOwN Overall, the two most trusted sources of information among Mon State respondents are friends and family members and Nay Pyi Daw Myanmar Radio National Service, followed by MRTV and Shwe FM. These four information sources make up 75% of the sample’s most trusted sources, as shown in Figure 20.

In qualitative interviews, respondents described how the source of information determined whether they believed or trusted the information. According to respondents from different focus group discussions, trust was established based upon familiarity with the news source. For these respondents, news was considered trustworthy if it came from the local authorities, elders, local news channels, DVB, BBC, or Thai TV channels.

“ THERE IS A 50-50 CHANCE FOR THE TRuSTwORTHINESS OF NEwS RECEIvEd FROM vARIOuS SOuRCES. SOME NEwS IS BEINg ExAggERATEd OR SOME NEwS IS uNdERSTATEd. TO dECIdE IF NEwS IS CREdIBlE OR NOT: IF I SEE IT wITH MY OwN EYES OR A vERY ClOSE FRIENd HAS MENTIONEd IT TO ME, ONlY THEN dO I TRuST IT. THAT IS HOw I vAlIdATE."U r b a n r e s p o n d e n t, n o n - c o n F l i c t a r e a , pa b e d a n Wa r d , M aW l a M y i n e t o W n s H i p


OF ALL THESE INFORMATION SOURCES, WHICH DO YOU TRUST THE MOST?

FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS

MYANMAR RADIO NATIONAL SERVICE

MYANMAR TELEVISION (MRTV)

SHWE FM

SKY NET CHANNELS

BBC

INTERNATIONAL / FOREIGN TV

JOURNALS WRITTEN INSIDE MYANMAR

WORK COLLEAGUES OR CLASSMATES

VOA

MRTV (4) (LOCAL CHANNEL)

COMMUNITY ELDERS

RFA

MYANMAR RADIO PADAUK MYAY SERVICE

NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINES WRITTEN INSIDE MYANMAR

NO ONE

RELIGIOUS LEADERS - MONKS AND NUNS

DVB

THE INTERNET: BURMESE WEBSITES

PEOPLE OUTSIDE MYANMAR

LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

OTHER

MYAWADDY TELEVISION (MWD)

25%

22%

14%

10%

4%

4%

3%

3%

2%

2%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

0.4%

0.4%

0.4%

0.4%

0.4%

0.2%

base: 500 respondents


28 29


vAlIdATION OF NEwS THROugH TRIANgulATION IS ESSENTIAlIllustrating a significant degree of sophistication as news consumers, a consistent theme shared by respondents throughout the qualitative research was that news needed to be validated by triangulation against other news sources before respondents felt they could share or fully trust the information. Many respondents mentioned that no particular information source was completely trustworthy. As a result, they had to validate news from one source by comparing it to other sources.

Reflecting the need to see evidence in support of news, the use of photographs and video lends authenticity to content. Additionally volume of sources is important. Respondents trusted information they heard if they could confirm it with others or if many people were sharing the same news. One respondent commented that he believed information when seven out of 10 people were discussing it, while another respondent said that they typically “question whether information is accurate or not by asking our elders.” Others remarked that the reliability of news depended on whether both Myanmar media and international media had similar broadcasts. Only after verifying news against an additional source did respondents feel news was credible enough to share with others.

INFORMATION FlOw MAppINgBased on the quantitative, qualitative and observational research, the following simple pathways were identified for Mon State Residents.

The flow of current affairs news and information can be seen below. Issues considered for this mapping included land issues, ethnic conflicts, election news, copper mine conflict, earthquake in Sagaing, and other Myanmar news. The flow of news and information from the urban areas where access to primary sources is much greater to relatively information poor rural areas through influential nodes is clear. Be they respected elders, affluent rural, or officials, such nodes may vary according to the types of information being conveyed as might the means of this transmission. For example, through officials in more affluent areas transmission is conducted to rural areas primarily via phone to trusted elders and family members. These disseminators in turn communicate with their networks of trusted family and community members at locations such as tea shops, religious ceremonies and home visits.

journal, was trusted by 40% of those who were aware of its existence.

While the survey data revealed very few who outright distrusted exiled media, qualitative data revealed a degree of mixed trust or uncertain trust. Similar to the findings regarding trust in foreign media, some degree of these mixed feelings is likely correlated to sensitivities over foreign vs. domestic reporting on the tensions in Rakhine State over the situation of the Rohingya.

“ IN THE pAST I TRuSTEd OvERSEAS NEwS, BuT NOw I KNOw THEIR NEwS IS NOT TOTAllY CORRECT. NOw I FEEl lIKE THEY ARE TRYINg TO INCITE SOMETHINg BETwEEN THE pEOplE ANd THE gOvERNMENT. dvB NEwS IS AlSO INCORRECT. THEIR NEwS IS NOT ExACT ANd MAKES AN INSTIgATION BETwEEN THE pEOplE ANd THE gOvERNMENT."r U r a l , F o r M e r c o n F l i c t a r e a r e s p o n d e n t, M a l e , a g e 3 1- 4 5 , K aW d U t V i l l a g e , yay t o W n s H i p


TRUST IN EXILE/DIASPORA TV FOR NEWSAND INFORMATION(PERCENTAGE OF TV WATCHERS WHO TRUST OR DISTRUST)

DVB-TV IN BURMESE

VOA-TV IN BURMESE

RFA-TV IN BURMESE

VOA TV / ENGLISH

DON'TKNOW

STATION

29%

41%

41%

69%

DON'TKNOW

27%

32%

34%

22%

DISTRUST

1%

1%

1%

1%

TRUST

42%

27%

24%

8%

Base: 270 respondents who watch TV


TRUST IN EXILED/DIASPORA PRINT MEDIASOURCES FOR NEWS AND INFORMATION(Percentage of print media users who trust or distrust)

Than Lwin Times (journal)

Irrawaddy (journal)

Mizzima News (magazine)

Guiding Star / Sa-Nong

-Time (newspaper)

Irrawaddy (magazine)

DON'TKNOW

PUBLICATION

62%

87%

90%

93%

87%

NOTSURE

22%

4%

7%

5%

12%

DISTRUST

1%

0%

1%

0%

0%

TRUST

15%

9%

3%

2%

1%

Base: 181 users of print media



30 31


MAPPING AND INFORMATION FLOWS FORSOCIAL WELFARE NEWSSUCH AS WEDDING, FUNERALS, OTHER EVENTS, NEWS ISPASSED ON BY WORD OF MOUTH

FAMILY MEMBERS

TEA SHOPS,GROCERY STORES

AT WORK AT MONASTERY

LIQUOR STORES

MAPPING AND INFORMATION FLOWSFOR RELIGIOUS NEWS

ELDERLY COMMUNITY MEMBERS

OTHER COMMUNITYMEMBERS

VINYL STICKERS /BANNERS AT PAGODA

ENTRANCE, TREES

LOUD SPEAKERS,NOTICE BOARDS IN

DIFFERENT LOCATIONS

MAPPING ANDINFORMATION FLOWS:EDUCATION: ADMISSION,BIRTH REGISTRATION, NRC: NEWS WORD OF MOUTH

SCHOOLADMIN

MAPPING ANDINFORMATION FLOWS: HEALTH: IMMUNIZATION CAMPS, MALARIA INFO, OTHER, NEWS BY WORD OF MOUTH

MAPPING AND INFORMATIONFLOWS: WEATHER: FOR FARMERS, AND IN CASE OFADVERSE CONDITIONS

FAMILY,FRIENDS

WARD OR VILLAGE ELDERLY, OTHER

RESPECTED PEOPLE

SHARE INFO AT TEA SHOP, MARKET, GROCERY,

LIQUOR, OTHER

FAMILY,FRIENDS

VILLAGEAUTHORITIES

TEACHERSTEACHERS

RELATIVES, FRIENDS ANDFAMILY LIVING OUTSIDE AREA

STUDENTS, PARENTS,COMMUNITY MEMBERS

MIDWIFE

NURSE

COMMUNITY HEALTHWORKER, OTHERS

SIGNBOARDS, BANNERS,

LOUDSPEAKERS

COMMUNITYMEMBERS

VILLAGE AUTHORITIES,TOWNSHIP AUTHORITIES

OTHER COMMUNITYMEMBERS

MOBILE/PHONE

VILLAGEAUTHORITIES

SATELLITE/TV

MONKS FROMMONASTERIES

(URBANAND RURAL)COMMUNITY

MEMBERS

SOCIAL GATHERING


MAPPING FOR NEWS AND INFORMATION FLOWS: POLITICAL NEWSURBAN AND RURAL

PRINTMEDIA RADIO

LOCALAUTHORITY

SATELLITE/TV

MOBILEPHONE INTERNET

@

Word of mouth

Word of mouth, phone

YOUNGURBAN

ADULTS

FAMILY,FRIENDS

MORE IN URBANAREAS,

WITH OFFICIALS AND SOME SHOP

OWNERSIN RURAL AREAS

URBAN& RURAL

HOUSEHOLDS

INFLUENTIALURBAN PEOPLE,

ELDERLY AND RESPECTED

IN RURAL AREAS

FROMRELATIVES

TO RELATIVES

OTHER TRUSTED FRIENDS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS

AFFLUENTRURAL

ELDERLY, FAMILY MEMBERS,TRUSTED FRIENDS

GROCERY, TEA,LIQUOR SHOPS, SALONS,CEREMONIES, MARKETS,FRIENDLY HOME VISITS

MAPPING FOR NEWS AND INFORMATION FLOWS: COMMUNITY NEWSFOR COMMUNITY NEWS, WORD OF MOUTH IS THE PRIMARY MODE OF COMMUNICATION. HERE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ELDERLY ANDMONASTICS AS KEY NODES IS APPARENT. LIKEWISE COMMUNITY LOCATIONS SUCH AS TEA SHOP AND THE MARKET ARE CRITICALINTERACTION POINTS.

TOWNSHIP / VILLAGE AUTHORITIES

PUBLICMEETINGS

GROCERY, TEA,LIQUOR SHOPS, MARKETS,

HAIR SALONS, OTHER

NOTICE BOARDS,PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT,

LOUDSPEAKERS

GROCERY, TEA, LIQUOR SHOPS,

MARKETS, HAIR SALONS OTHER

DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH ELDERLY, MONKS,OTHERS WHO ARE CONCERNED WITH THE NEWS

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

NOTICE BOARDS,PUBLIC

ANNOUNCEMENT,LOUDSPEAKERS


32


ABOuT INTERNEwS CENTER FOR INNOvATION & lEARNINg

Building on the breadth and depth of Internews’ activities and experience accumulated over 30 years of promoting independent media in more than 80 countries around the world, the Internews Center for Innovation & Learning supports, captures, and shares innovative approaches to communication through creative research and development worldwide.

Founded in 2011, the Center strives to balance local expertise and global learning in support of our vision that healthy information ecosystems are a root solution to furthering human progress. The Center serves as an open knowledge hub that develops and inspires collaborative investigation and experimentation.

Through a rigorous, iterative process of pilots and experimental research, the Center seeks to contribute information and tools to better understand the changing worlds of information and communications.

In the Center, we strive to deepen and enhance the links between existing expertise in media and the increasingly diverse information worlds and research that can help address the challenges of today’s dynamic information ecosystems be they global, hyper local or somewhere between.

This is far from a purely academic endeavor. Internews hopes that the Center’s activities will engage and benefit both those who work at the front lines of global development and the communities they serve.

www.innovation.internews.org

ABOuT THIS REpORT

This report is the second in a series designed for multiple audiences. Part One - Research Findings (available at www.innovation.internews.org) presents key data and analysis from this extensive study. This piece, Part Two - Additional Data Analysis, provides a broader data analysis for those audiences who are interested in exploring the nuances of this research further.

gRApHIC dESIgN | INFOgRApHICS

VROS Design | Visual Thinking Comunicación


MAPPING AND INFORMATION FLOW:COMMODITY PRICES

MAPPING AND INFORMATION FLOWS: FOOTBALL MATCHES, LOTTERY NEWS

TRADERS INURBAN AREAS

DEALERS INURBAN AND RURAL AREAS/

BUSINESS MEN/MIDDLEMEN IN RURAL AREAS

INTERNET IN URBAN AREA ONLY

YOUNGGENERATION

FRIENDS

2 AND 3 DIGITLOTTERY

TEA, LIQUOR SHOPS,MARKET, OTHER

COMMUNITY MEMBERS,FRIENDS

VILLAGE ELDERLY,FARMERS,

OTHER INTERESTEDCOMMUNITY MEMBERS

TEA SHOPS,FRIENDLY HOME VISITS,MONASTERY, MARKET,GROCERY STORES ETC

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

MOBILE PHONES

IN URBANAREAS

RADIO INURBAN AND

RURALAREAS

VILLAGEAUTHORITIES

FOOTBALLSCORES

MOBILEPHONE

SATELLITETV/

LOCAL TV

part t wo: additional data analysis

http://www.innovation.internews.org

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