Episode 12
The Rohingya Crisis & the Role of Media in Conflict
This week, we welcome Ronan Lee to speak about The Rohingya Crisis and the Role of Media in Conflict.
Ronan is an Irish-Australian political advisor and completed his PhD at Deakin University researching Rohingya history and identity. Ronan has travelled extensively in Myanmar, first visiting the country to witness the political changes associated with its transition from direct military rule to a quasi-civilian government. He witnessed Myanmar’s 2010 general election and met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi shortly after her release from house arrest. Ronan has provided comment for the BBC, Al Jazeera, TIME, and the Guardian and has written widely about Myanmar.
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Resources:
Discover more about Ronan Lee’s work on his website: https://ronanlee.com
Follow him on Twitter: @Ronan_Lee
The New York Times article on how the Myanmar military used Facebook: A Genocide Incited on Facebook, With Posts From Myanmar's Military.
The article from Wired How Facebook’s Rise Fueled Chaos and Confusion in Myanmar is a good overview of the role of Facebook in Myanmar.
To learn more about changes to press censorship laws and some implications of this in 2012 read the New York Times article Myanmar Abolishes Censorship of Private Publications.
And for an overview of the current state of press censorship read the Al Jazeera article Myanmar Free Press Hopes Wither.
The Reuters special report Dangerous News: How Two Young Reporters Shook Myanmar gives background to the media pressures on journalists in the country.
Read Ronan Lee’s article on how Buddhist nationalist groups in Myanmar have used Facebook to swamp public opinion with anti-Muslim speech: Facebook is Hurting Democracy in Myanmar.
This Guardian article questions the role of Facebook as a media platform: Is Facebook a publisher? In public it says no, but in court it says yes.
Watch Ronan Lee’s analysis of Aung Sang Sui Kyi’s position on the Rohingya crisis from Al Jazeera’s feature Aung San Suu Kyi's speech, analysed.
Watch Ronan Lee’s interview on BBC World News following the flight of 60,000 Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh in September 2017.
Learn more about the #myfriend and #friendshiphasnoboundaries campaigns in the Mashable article Students in Myanmar start selfie campaign to promote tolerance.