Coverage by citizen journalists brought international attention to the 2007 Saffron Revolution.
U Gawsita, a Burmese monk who is featured in the film, welcomed the Academy Award nomination in an interview with thewrap.com. “It shows that the world is standing with the oppressed people of Burma. It’s not ignoring the suffering of the people.”
Much of the film’s footage came from amateur journalists associated with the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), based in Oslo, Norway. In a video interview with the National Endowment for Democracy, DVB Executive Director Khin Maung Win says the station, which has expanded from shortwave transmissions to satellite television, is able to reach 10 million Burmese per month — a significant crack in the regime’s near monopoly on information. Providing DVB with content is a risky undertaking, since cameras must be hidden and footage must be clandestinely sent out of the country. There are now 10 DVB journalists in prison, but Win said that “even though they know the risk, they are committed.”
Their job is to cover precisely what the military regime is trying to hide, such as human rights violations and activities of opposition figures such as National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Given their constraints, Win said probably only about 20 to 30 percent of the military’s abuses can be documented, but even that small percentage shows “the power of media and how it can challenge the authority.”
Burma VJ director Anders Ostergaard emphasized the importance of citizen journalism to democracy.
“I believe it’s very powerful. We saw the same thing happening in Iran in the spring. It is here to stay, and I think it’s a very powerful tool for democracy and awareness. We tend to think that new technology is always ‘big brother is watching you,’ but it can also be ‘little brother is watching you.’ And that’s quite a good thing,” Ostergaard said.
What is the state of citizen journalism in your country, compared with Burma? How much do you rely upon “unofficial” news sources?