What is the state of freedom of the press in Myanmar, which is currently the 9th most censored country in the world? This and other questions are addressed by Irrawaddy Media, an independent media organisation covering Myanmar and Southeast Asia from a Myanmar perspective.

In this blogpost, we highlight three videos from Dateline Irrawaddy, their discussion programme which features members of Myanmar’s media landscape, civil society and government.

Freedom of Press in Myanmar

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has ranked Myanmar the 9th most censored country globally in 2015. Despite recent reforms, at least 20 journalists have been arrested since 2013 and 12 media workers are currently serving prison sentences.

This episode of Dateline discusses press freedom in the country with speakers U Kyaw Zwa Moe, editor of the English edition of The Irrawaddy, U Ko Ni, High Court Advocate and Ko Myint Kyaw, secretary of the Myanmar Journalist Network.

Peace Process and Women’s Safety

A discussion on the guarantee of women’s lives in civil war zones following the gang-rape and murder of two Kachin Christian school teachers in their church compound in the Northern Shan State.

The participating speakers include Ko Kyaw Kha, an Irrawaddy reporter and Moon Nay Li from the Kachin Women’s Association in Thailand (KWAT).

The 2015 General Election

Myanmar’s next general election is scheduled to happen in late October or early November this year. Irrawaddy asks special guest speaker U Tin Aye, Chairman of the Union Election Commission (UEC), about the credibility of the upcoming polls.

View more discussions and special report videos from Irrawaddy Media here.