Born out of Myanmar’s darkest era of military rule, it is in The Irrawaddy’s very nature to crusade for democracy and freedom, and to devote itself to ridding our country—one with so much promise—of unwanted military rule. We believe this struggle will go nowhere without press freedom, and without independent journalism playing its role.
The search for light and truth has been the central theme throughout the 30-year journey of The Irrawaddy. Founder Aung Zaw was himself a student activist involved in the 1988 democracy movement, and the publication he created has always taken bold editorial stances without fear or favor on the many critical issues Myanmar has faced.
Certainly, The Irrawaddy’s history and Myanmar’s struggle for democracy are inseparable.
Our ultimate hope is to help bring about a democratic, inclusive, just, peaceful and prosperous federal nation, one that contributes with responsibility, integrity and the values of humanity to our global family. We aim to do this by maximizing our capacities, based on our journalistic professionalism and ethics.
That’s what The Irrawaddy has stood for and what The Irrawaddy has strived for. We believe independent journalism is an important component of a democratic and open society. We also believe it is even more indispensable when a society is in a struggle to liberate itself from a dictatorship.
We believe this is a process. Even if we attained most of the above fundamental—if ambitious—goals, our mission would be to continue to strive to perfect those achievements.
That is to say: Our mission has no end.
Born Out of a Political Storm—
With a Mission
The Irrawaddy was born out of necessity. Soon after Myanmar fell into the abyss, a group of exiled Myanmar journalists established The Irrawaddy in Thailand in 1993. The young journalists were student activists who took part in the nationwide democracy movement to topple a dictatorship in 1988. Myanmar became an even more restricted and closed society after the military crushed the uprising by force.
From day one, The Irrawaddy’s mission was to inform the world and our own people—whose right to information had been taken away—about what was happening in an opaque Myanmar, as there was little news or awareness about the political situation and ongoing upheaval inside the country, or of what was going on in the remote ethnic regions. We believe in an open, democratic and inclusive society, in which independent media play a critical role to promote a democratic federal union in Myanmar, one in which people can exercise their freedom of expression and self-determination for their betterment.
To make this happen, we seek the truth and try to help our widespread readership understand the complexities and nuances of our country and events beyond its boundaries. This is our mission, and it is at the core of the culture that flows through our newsroom.
Over the last three decades we have informed the world about Myanmar’s development: political, social and cultural. Our coverage of the country’s complex politics, diverse ethnic affairs, border issues and conflict zones, and our relentless monitoring of the Myanmar military while keeping a watchful eye on relations between Myanmar and its neighbors, among other issues, has earned us the trust of a local and international readership that includes world leaders, diplomats, distinguished scholars, researchers, writers, and members of civil society and advocacy groups with an interest in Myanmar.
The Irrawaddy remains committed to providing accurate news, in-depth and analytical articles, opinion pieces and editorials reflecting our insights and the aspirations of the diverse people of Myanmar while serving as a public forum for differing views.
When It Comes to Our First Loyalty,
No One Is Above the Public
An important task we have performed daily over the past three decades is public service. We always adhere to a key principle of our calling: Journalism’s first loyalty is to the public while its first obligation is to the truth.
With that in mind, we have served the public and our readers across the world by giving them facts, information and analyses in various forms, via a range of platforms and using various tools, to give accurate and impartial accounts of events to audiences in different locations and situations, such as online and offline, digital and print, video and audio.
To serve the public, we launched our first English-language website in 2000, seven years after publishing The Irrawaddy’s first print issue. One year later, a Burmese-language website was introduced.
In 2012, The Irrawaddy had the opportunity to open its first office in Yangon following the launch of the country’s period of democratic transition. We legally published a monthly English-language magazine and a weekly Burmese-language journal, but both were folded after a few years so we could focus on the digital versions.
In celebration of the publication’s 30th anniversary, we reintroduced a monthly bilingual print journal in early 2023 to present credible information and analyses to audiences whose access to the internet and digital platforms are limited.
Digitally, apart from the two websites, we are on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Telegram while also sending daily e-news digests in Burmese and English into readers’ inboxes.
Adhering to best practices of editorial independence, impartiality and fairness, The Irrawaddy’s editorial team is not swayed by popular opinion or by donor pressure to be politically correct, but reports the facts on the ground. Influence from external groups or partisan elements are not tolerated and independence is non-negotiable.
The Irrawaddy: ‘We Are What We Report’
To Disclose the Truth Is Our First Obligation
For the public and our widespread readership, we prioritize providing accurate, reliable and comprehensive facts and information, as journalism’s first and foremost obligation is to the truth.
We have published stories from the ethnic regions, about the plight of refugees and displaced people, about the endless armed conflicts, ethnic affairs, and the struggles of migrant workers in neighboring countries. The Irrawaddy is a voice for the voiceless.
In addition, we have extensively covered relations between Myanmar and its neighbors, especially activities on the Thai, Chinese and Indian borders.
We have gone in-depth on political, social and economic affairs in Yangon and elsewhere, including stories on political prisoners, the fight for democracy and press freedom, and published accounts of political repression that ended too often in the consecutive regimes’ torture chambers. Our investigative desk exposes the murky relations between the junta and its cronies as well as ethnic armed groups’ involvement in illegal businesses on the border.
The Irrawaddy is a daily chronicle of the ups and downs of the country’s history. Our mission is to seek the truth and help our readership understand our complex society.
Without Fear, We Follow the Truth.
Courage is the most important ingredient for Burmese journalists.
Courage is one of the most necessary qualities for journalists across the world, but we believe it is indispensable for Myanmar journalists, who have always been targeted by the country’s regimes, past and present.
Since it launched its service as an exile news organization in Bangkok in 1993, The Irrawaddy has been threatened and targeted by consecutive juntas and authorities. Initially it worked more like a clandestine operation as it sought to evade the intelligence officers, spies, informants and collaborators working for Myanmar’s then regime, the State Law and Order Restoration Council.
Even during the relatively free environment of the 2010s, during which The Irrawaddy opened its office in Yangon, some of our editors and reporters were charged under draconian laws, and some even thrown behind bars, by the military for their journalistic work. We frequently received death threats for our coverage of fighting between ethnic armed groups and the army, and other controversial and sensitive issues.
After the coup in 2021, The Irrawaddy’s Yangon office was raided and sealed by the junta. Some staff were later arrested. The junta issued arrest warrants for three of our editors, and arrested publisher U Thaung Win, sentencing him to five years’ imprisonment. Its publication license was revoked.
Despite such threats and acts of repression, we are determined to continue our mission and fulfill our obligations. Consequently, since the coup, The Irrawaddy has become an exile media organization for a second time. Like other independent media, The Irrawaddy is viewed as an arch enemy by the repressive and illegitimate junta. As people have a need to know and journalists have a right to tell, The Irrawaddy continues to serve our readership and the wider public with courage, no matter where we are and no matter what it takes.
‘Facts Are Subversive.’
But our interpretive articles offer a deeper understanding of complex issues.
We are ruled by facts on the ground. But we go beyond by doing more than reporting, because we know facts alone can’t constitute the whole truth or give people a full understanding, especially when it comes to enriching the discourse surrounding Myanmar’s complex politics, society, culture and history.
From the beginning, it has been our belief that articles on Myanmar would be better presented if Myanmar journalists could report, write and explain them, because we know the nuances on the ground, understand the languages, culture and complexity of the issues we cover.
For us, the issues are never black and white, so it’s crucial for us to provide readers with not only facts but also context, analysis and insight to allow our global, diverse audience to understand this complex country, and why the issues are important in a local context politically, historically and socially.
To make that happen, our newsroom has been blessed with an array of journalists with different ethnic and knowledge backgrounds, contributing to our success over the last three decades.
An Independent Monitor of Power
As an independent media organization, The Irrawaddy takes seriously its watchdog role, investigating and reporting on those in power to hold them accountable for their actions. Driven by a “without fear or favor” attitude, we have steadfastly questioned them for 30 years.
For its relentless exposure of its wrongdoings, The Irrawaddy was a nemesis of Myanmar’s previous junta, whose spy chief General Khin Nyunt once told late Karen leader General Bo Mya: “Don’t read The Irrawaddy.”
During the rule of the democratically elected National League for Democracy government in Myanmar, we fiercely scrutinized politicians and businesses, insisting on transparency and holding them accountable for their actions while protecting the people’s right to know and protecting the health of the country’s democracy.
Keeping a watchful eye on those in power has become even more crucial these days, with Myanmar under authoritarian military rule characterized by crimes against humanity, war crimes and human rights violations are on a scale never before seen.
To keep exposing their atrocious acts and to keep the world informed about what Myanmar is experiencing today, The Irrawaddy, the ink-stained crusaders for truth, freedom and democracy, will be there to serve you—our readers!
