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UNESCO releases journalists' toolkit for cultural and ethnic reporting in Myanmar

The new resource will assist journalists working in ethnic and mainstream media outlets, teachers and trainers of journalism, and members of independent media councils.
Myanmar journalists' toolkit in cultural and ethnic reporting

The UNESCO Antenna Office in Yangon has just published Myanmar Journalists' Toolkit in Cultural and Ethnic Reporting. The Journalists鈥 Toolkit contains practical guides (including how-to鈥檚 and do鈥檚 and don鈥檛s) on developing stories on cultural and ethnic issues and concerns鈥攊ncluding information sourcing, writing, production, and dissemination鈥攆or various platforms and formats, including print and online. It is hoped that the open-access resource will help to ensure that local and regional stories in Myanmar are not only accurate and authentic鈥攖hus helping to stem the rise of misinformation鈥攂ut also culturally-sensitive and reflective of the views and sentiments of the country鈥檚 ethnic communities.

Amid Myanmar鈥檚 current socio-political crisis and the continuing ethnic conflict, the Journalists鈥 Toolkit is a timely 鈥榞o to鈥 for professional journalists and related stakeholders. According to Mr Ichiro Miyazawa, Head of the UNESCO Antenna Office in Yangon, the Journalists鈥 Toolkit has three primary objectives: (1) to emphasize among Myanmar journalists the need to sustain and expand coverage of culture and ethnic issues; (2) to capacitate journalists in being acutely sensitive of their coverage of cultural and ethnic issues and events, namely by integrating in their work contextual frames of gender, faith and religion, and language; and (3) to transform ethnic media outlets themselves into champions for tolerance, acceptance of differences, diversity, and pluralism.

Myanmar journalists' toolkit in cultural and ethnic reporting
Tuazon, Ramon
UNESCO Myanmar Project Office
Myat, Mon Mon
2023
0000388350

The intended users are journalists working in ethnic and mainstream media outlets, journalism teachers and trainers, and members of independent media councils. The Journalists鈥 Toolkit is also conceived for other content creators, such as filmmakers, video documentarians, photographers, and creative artists, as well as information officers of civil society and community-based organizations.

The Journalists鈥 Toolkit is a collaboration of Ms Mon Mon Myat, a veteran journalist with extensive experience in ethnic reporting, and Mr Ramon Guillermo R. Tuazon, a UNESCO consultant with extensive experience in media development work in Myanmar.

Development of the Myanmar Journalists' Toolkit in Cultural and Ethnic Reporting was supported by the UN Secretary General鈥檚 Peacebuilding Fund through the project, 鈥楶reventing Hate Speech and Promoting Peaceful Society through Media and Information Literacy鈥.

For more information on UNESCO鈥檚 work in fostering responsible journalism in Myanmar.

#EmpowerPeacemakers #UNPeacebuildingFundProject #MakingJournalismWork #UNESCOYangon #MultiDonorProject

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