Interview: AP's Dogged Reporting Challenges 'Good-News Narrative' in Myanmar | Asia Society Skip to main content

Unsupported Browser Detected.
It seems the web browser you're using doesn't support some of the features of this site. For the best experience, we recommend using a modern browser that supports the features of this website. We recommend Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge

  • Arts
    • Arts & Culture
      • Film
      • Literature
      • Performing Arts
    • Asia Society Museum
      • Visit
      • Exhibitions
      • Programs
      • Collection
      • Asia Society Triennial
      • The Asia Arts and Museum Network
      • Learn
    • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
      • About
      • Honorees
      • Ceremonies
      • Photos
      • Support
    • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
      • Resources
      • Exhibitions
      • Videos
  • Education
    • Chinese Language Learning
    • Global Education
    • Discover Asia
    • About
  • Policy
    • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Center for China Analysis
      • Topics
      • Countries & Regions
      • Publications
      • Initiatives
      • Watch & Listen
      • Events
      • About
      • Support Us
    • Center on U.S.-China Relations
      • Home
      • About
      • Projects
      • Events
      • Reports
      • COAL + ICE
    • ChinaFile
      • Reporting & Opinion
      • Conversation
      • Library
      • Multimedia
  • Initiatives
    • Arts
      • Arts & Museum Summit
      • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
      • The Asia Arts & Museum Network
      • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
      • U.S.-China Museum Summit
      • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
    • Leadership
      • Asia Game Changer Awards
      • Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows
      • Diversity Leadership Initiatives
      • U.S.-China Dialogue
    • Policy
      • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Center on U.S.-China Relations
    • Sustainability
      • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Coal + Ice
  • Countries & Regions
    • Column One
      • Afghanistan
      • American Samoa
      • Armenia
      • Australia
      • Azerbaijan
      • Bahrain
      • Bangladesh
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • Central Asia
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cyprus
      • East Asia
      • East Timor
      • Fiji
      • French Polynesia
      • Georgia
      • Guam
    • Column Two
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Jordan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kiribati
      • Kuwait
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Laos
      • Lebanon
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Marshall Islands
      • Micronesia
      • Mongolia
    • Column Three
      • Myanmar
      • Nauru
      • Nepal
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • Niue
      • North Korea
      • Northern Marianas
      • Oceania
      • Oman
      • Pakistan
      • Palau
      • Palestine
      • Papua New Guinea
      • Philippines
      • Qatar
      • Samoa
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • Solomon Islands
    • Column Four
      • South Asia
      • Southeast Asia
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Tajikistan
      • Thailand
      • Tibet
      • Tokelau
      • Tonga
      • Turkey
      • Turkmenistan
      • Tuvalu
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vanuatu
      • Vietnam
      • Wallis and Futuna
      • West Asia
      • Yemen
  • Current Affairs
    • Topics
      • Business
      • Climate Change
      • Governance
    • Programming
      • Beyond the Headlines
      • Business of Asia
    • Center on U.S.-China Relations
      • Home
      • About
      • Projects
      • Reports
      • Past Events
    • ChinaFile
      • Reporting & Opinion
      • Conversation
      • Library
      • Multimedia
  • Look & Listen
    • Asia Society Magazine
    • ChinaFile
    • Podcasts
    • Video Gallery
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
  • Visit
    • Visit Us
      • Hong Kong
      • New York
      • Texas
    • Global Network
      • Australia
      • France
      • India
      • Japan
      • Korea
      • Northern California
      • Philippines
      • Seattle
      • Southern California
      • Switzerland
      • Washington, D.C.
  • About
    • About Asia Society
    • Inclusion & Diversity
    • Background & History
    • Board of Trustees
    • Senior Leadership
    • Global Staff
    • Global Council
    • Careers
    • Interns and Volunteers
    • Financial Statements
    • For the Media
      • Press Releases
  • Support
    • The Campaign for Asia Society
    • Corporate Engagement
      • Business Council
      • Technology and Innovation Council
      • Global Talent and Diversity Council
      • Rising Executives Network
      • Enhancements to Membership
      • Corporate Membership
      • Global Corporate Leaders
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Donor Privacy Statement
ASIABLOG
Subscribe
Search
  • Arts
    • Arts & Culture
      • Film
      • Literature
      • Performing Arts
    • Asia Society Museum
      • Visit
      • Exhibitions
      • Programs
      • Collection
      • Asia Society Triennial
      • The Asia Arts and Museum Network
      • Learn
    • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
      • About
      • Honorees
      • Ceremonies
      • Photos
      • Support
    • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
      • Resources
      • Exhibitions
      • Videos
  • Education
    • Chinese Language Learning
    • Global Education
    • Discover Asia
    • About
  • Policy
    • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Center for China Analysis
      • Topics
      • Countries & Regions
      • Publications
      • Initiatives
      • Watch & Listen
      • Events
      • About
      • Support Us
    • Center on U.S.-China Relations
      • Home
      • About
      • Projects
      • Events
      • Reports
      • COAL + ICE
    • ChinaFile
      • Reporting & Opinion
      • Conversation
      • Library
      • Multimedia
  • Initiatives
    • Arts
      • Arts & Museum Summit
      • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
      • The Asia Arts & Museum Network
      • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
      • U.S.-China Museum Summit
      • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
    • Leadership
      • Asia Game Changer Awards
      • Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows
      • Diversity Leadership Initiatives
      • U.S.-China Dialogue
    • Policy
      • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Center on U.S.-China Relations
    • Sustainability
      • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Coal + Ice
  • Countries & Regions
    • Column One
      • Afghanistan
      • American Samoa
      • Armenia
      • Australia
      • Azerbaijan
      • Bahrain
      • Bangladesh
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • Central Asia
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cyprus
      • East Asia
      • East Timor
      • Fiji
      • French Polynesia
      • Georgia
      • Guam
    • Column Two
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Jordan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kiribati
      • Kuwait
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Laos
      • Lebanon
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Marshall Islands
      • Micronesia
      • Mongolia
    • Column Three
      • Myanmar
      • Nauru
      • Nepal
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • Niue
      • North Korea
      • Northern Marianas
      • Oceania
      • Oman
      • Pakistan
      • Palau
      • Palestine
      • Papua New Guinea
      • Philippines
      • Qatar
      • Samoa
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • Solomon Islands
    • Column Four
      • South Asia
      • Southeast Asia
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Tajikistan
      • Thailand
      • Tibet
      • Tokelau
      • Tonga
      • Turkey
      • Turkmenistan
      • Tuvalu
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vanuatu
      • Vietnam
      • Wallis and Futuna
      • West Asia
      • Yemen
  • Current Affairs
    • Topics
      • Business
      • Climate Change
      • Governance
    • Programming
      • Beyond the Headlines
      • Business of Asia
    • Center on U.S.-China Relations
      • Home
      • About
      • Projects
      • Reports
      • Past Events
    • ChinaFile
      • Reporting & Opinion
      • Conversation
      • Library
      • Multimedia
  • Look & Listen
    • Asia Society Magazine
    • ChinaFile
    • Podcasts
    • Video Gallery
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
  • Visit
    • Visit Us
      • Hong Kong
      • New York
      • Texas
    • Global Network
      • Australia
      • France
      • India
      • Japan
      • Korea
      • Northern California
      • Philippines
      • Seattle
      • Southern California
      • Switzerland
      • Washington, D.C.
  • About
    • About Asia Society
    • Inclusion & Diversity
    • Background & History
    • Board of Trustees
    • Senior Leadership
    • Global Staff
    • Global Council
    • Careers
    • Interns and Volunteers
    • Financial Statements
    • For the Media
      • Press Releases
  • Support
    • The Campaign for Asia Society
    • Corporate Engagement
      • Business Council
      • Technology and Innovation Council
      • Global Talent and Diversity Council
      • Rising Executives Network
      • Enhancements to Membership
      • Corporate Membership
      • Global Corporate Leaders
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Donor Privacy Statement

Interview: AP's Dogged Reporting Challenges 'Good-News Narrative' in Myanmar

June 17th, 2014


Roshida Moud, 12, is held by his father as the latter explains that his son was hit in the head with a stone during the 2012 Rakhine violence, in Sittwe, Myanmar, on May 6, 2014. (Andre Malerba/Getty Images)

Throughout 2013, the Associated Press team in Myanmar published "Portraits of Change," a wrenching, revelatory series focusing on the rise in sectarian violence and discrimination against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority as the country emerged from decades of isolation and military dictatorship. From a March 2013 massacre of Muslim schoolchildren to the transformation of a Rohingya neighborhood into a sealed-off ghetto that spring, the AP presented an unsparing look at the ethnic hatred unleashed after nearly half a century of military rule. "Portraits of Change" made the Associated Press a finalist for Asia Society's 2014 Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia, with the jury hailing AP's coverage as "ambitious" and "beautifully written."

Reached at various locations overseas, members of AP's Myanmar team answered questions about "Portraits of Change" via email.

Related
On Wednesday, June 18, 2014, Asia Society celebrates the winners of the 11th Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia with a discussion moderated by The New Yorker's Ken Auletta.

Months after AP's reports, the treatment of Myanmar's Rohingya has become the subject of high-profile reporting from the New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, NPR, and CNN, among other outlets. Do you think the greater international attention could force Myanmar’s government to become more accountable for what’s happening to the Muslim minority there?

Robin McDowell, acting Yangon Bureau Chief
Intense media coverage has forced the U.S., Britain and others in the international community to adjust their good-news narrative for Myanmar, but there is a limit to how much pressure they are willing to exert on the new, nominally civilian government. While reformists in the administration have started to publicly address allegations of systematic discrimination and persecution against Rohingya Muslims, so far it's been largely for appearances.

The real power still lies with hard-liners within the central and Rakhine state government, and they are either unwilling or unable to challenge increasingly powerful Buddhist extremists. So, while it's critical the media continue to shine a spotlight on abuses, we do not expect the situation for the Rohingya to improve before the 2015 elections. In fact, things will probably continue to get worse.

At what point in 2013 did you and your colleagues decide that your reporting from Myanmar was going to be a series? Was the coverage initially conceived that way, or did the story eventually seem to warrant this kind of comprehensive treatment?

Leon Drouin-Keith, Asia-Pacific Enterprise Editor
We envisioned the "Portraits of Change" series early in 2013, led by Asia-Pacific News Director Brian Carovillano (now Managing Editor for U.S. news) and Enterprise Editor Ken Moritsugu (now Tokyo Bureau Chief). The idea was to show how the changes sweeping through Myanmar were affecting individual lives, for better and for worse. It was an avenue that helped produce a broad spectrum of stories, from a well-connected tycoon to kids hauling rocks for pennies a day.

But the portraits alone did not tell the whole story. Several of the stories we submitted, including Todd Pitman's examining the March 21 massacre in Meikhtila in unflinching detail, did not fit in the "Portraits" concept but still needed to be told.

AP journalists working on the "Portraits of Change" series in Myanmar have been subjected to smear campaigns, official surveillance, and other kinds of intimidation. In the face of this pressure, what steps (if any) can the organization take to ensure the safety of its reporters?

Todd Pitman, Bangkok Chief of Bureau
The Associated Press does all it can to protect its staff in the field in Myanmar, as in all countries around the world. But keeping journalists safe in Myanmar means AP does not openly discuss the steps it takes.


Video: Oz Prize Finalists on Struggles of Reporting in Asia (5 min., 3 sec.)

Related Links

  • More Coverage of the 2014 Osborn Elliott Prize
  • Multimedia: Rohingya Refugees Refused Access on World Refugee Day
  • Watch the complete program
oz prize 2014
myanmar
rohingya
current affairs
journalism
osborn elliot prize
associated press
interviews
oz prize
southeast asia
west asia

About the Author

Profile picture for user Jeff Tompkins
Jeff Tompkins is New York Content Manager at Asia Society.
 @Jeff_Tompkins
About
  • Mission & History
  • Our People
  • Become a Member
  • Career Opportunities
  • Corporate Involvement
visit us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
global network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Seattle
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, D.C.
resources
  • Arts
  • Asia Society Magazine
  • ChinaFile
  • Education
  • Policy
  • Video
shop
  • AsiaStore
initiatives
  • Arts & Museum Summit
  • Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows
  • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
  • Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Asian Women Empowered
  • Center on U.S.-China Relations
  • Coal + Ice
  • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
  • Global Cities Education Network
  • Global Talent Initiatives
  • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
  • U.S.-China Dialogue
  • U.S.-China Museum Summit
Connect
Email Signup For the media
Asia Society logo
©2023 Asia Society | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Contact

Asia Society takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with any government.
The views expressed by Asia Society staff, fellows, experts, report authors, program speakers, board members, and other affiliates are solely their own. Learn more.

 

 

  • Visit Us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Global Network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Seattle
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC