Provisional Government's Condemnation of TIME Magazine Article is a Humiliation Due to Lack of Understanding of International Media, Say Analysts

The provisional government's announcement condemning the article about Myanmar published in the world-class TIME magazine as lacking media ethics is due to a lack of understanding of the concept of media, and has exposed the military junta's humiliation, according to analyses by Myanmar journalists. Following the publication of an article titled "Myanmar's Dictator Rebuilding Ties with the West" in TIME magazine on September 23, the provisional government announced on the same day that TIME magazine's presentation of the interview in an article format, rather than a question-and-answer format, was inconsistent with media ethics. Journalists pointed out that TIME magazine's presentation and statements reflect the current reality in Myanmar and were reported according to procedures, and that a similar situation was encountered during an interview with CNN in 2021. Journalist U Thut Nyan said that through the reporting of the US-based TIME magazine, the voices of the people and the difficulties they face have reached the international stage, and the magazine was able to reflect and portray the image of interim President Min Aung Hlaing. "Successive Myanmar military leaders have never understood how international media works. This is because they have always thought of media as something to be exploited," a domestic journalist told the Irrawaddy Times in an analysis. Journalist U Thut Nyan further stated that the provisional government group has tried to lobby for legitimacy from Western countries rather than understanding journalism, and lacks expertise in public relations methods and media handling. "This is a humiliation. They do not understand media. They lack competence in how to deal with newsrooms, in administrative matters, in public relations, and in international relations. They do not understand these things," he said. Journalists commented that in the interview between TIME magazine correspondent Charlie Campbell and interim President Min Aung Hlaing, his responses regarding domestic peace and issues of political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, were not well-articulated and lacked skill and shrewdness. Photo – TIME, PPIB