Myanmar senior journalist cautiously welcomes the new daily papers

Four new privately owned newspapers hit the newsstand yesterday for the very first time in more than 40 years. The Union Daily is owned and published by the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party.

ShweNaingNganThit is a private company with ShweNaingNgan Media as the publisher, The Voice Daily is published by Living Color Media also a private company and lastly The Standard Time published by Three Friends Construction Company also a private firm, said news report from Eleven Media.These dailies are sold at 150 kyats (about US$1.60) each.

According to Win Tin, a journalist, he acknowledges the entry of these new publications. He stressed that the state-owned newspapers which is under the military junta is not like a newspaper under a democratic form of government since news editions are limited.

He further revealed that during the time of the military they controlled the newspapers in 1964 only a small number of private owned newspapers survived.

New Light of Myanmar and Hantharwady made it till 1968 and from that time on no private newspapers have circulated all over the country.

Win Tin asked if the reporters of these new publications will have the free will. Queries have been hovering his mind such as the kind of story they are going to publish, are they connected with the past junta or not. If they have connections will they be able to write freely?

Moreover he emphasized that the owners have nothing to do with the newspaper, it must be generated for public consumption. The news must be based on truthfulness and in all honesty, the report said.

There are more privately owned newspapers that were given the opportunity to publish daily like Yangon Times, KhitThit Daily, Breaking News Daily, Khit Moe Empire, D-Wave, The Messenger, 7-Day Daily, Myanmar Newsweek, Mizzima, Daily Eleven, and Myanmar Dika.