Between 2017 and 2025, Fondation Hirondelle and Frontier Myanmar magazine co-produced and distributed Doh Athan (“Our Voices”), a podcast dedicated to human rights issues. In 2025, the nature of our partnership evolved: the Frontier team now handles the entire production of Doh Athan, with financial support from Fondation Hirondelle. This support also includes the production of “What’s Happening in Myanmar,” a long-form podcast that brings together journalists and experts to analyze current events in Myanmar.
Frontier Myanmar is a multi-award-winning online news magazine covering current events in the country. It is one of the first media outlets to have developed a paid membership model and a community with the public as a strategy for financial sustainability. As such, Doh Athan is the first podcast produced in the Burmese language. Following the 2021 coup, most of its contributors work in exile, relying on a network of reporters and media partners in the country.
Annual Budget
50 000 CHF
Sources of funding
- Switzerland (SDC Basic Contribution)
- Private foundations
Key figures 2025
152’451 social media followers
30 podcasts Doh Athan
10 trained media professionals (2024)
2 partner media outlets
6 videos in Burmese
12 hours of broadcasts
Context
The military coup in February 2021 not only destroyed Myanmar’s fragile democracy, but also sparked a spiral of violence and repression within society. In March 2025, a devastating earthquake exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, killing thousands and affecting millions. Faced with this instability, the junta organized elections in December 2025 that were widely seen as a sham to consolidate its power, cracking down on all criticism through a special law while intensifying its military offensives. In this context, the profession of journalism is extremely dangerous in Myanmar, which has become the second largest prison in the world for journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. At the same time, the freezing of US aid has weakened the Myanmar media, with cuts to VOA and USAID limiting their ability to report and document these events, creating a cycle of repression, humanitarian crisis, and misinformation.
Essential coverage of human rights issues in Myanmar
Doh Athan produced podcasts, videos, and a new “Behind the scenes” format dedicated to human rights in Burmese and English. The podcast highlighted the impact of the conflict, following the 2021 coup, on the lives of Myanmar citizens, addressing issues such as their livelihoods, health, jobs, and education. It documented the difficulties faced by these citizens as well as marginalized groups facing discrimination and human rights violations. In addition, it reported on the experiences of Burmese migrants and refugees abroad. The “What’s Happening in Myanmar” program also gave a voice to experts, academics, and activists in this new long-form format offered by Frontier.
Doh Athan continued to collaborate with two media partners and work with at least 10 freelancers inside and outside Myanmar. Feedspot, an online content aggregation platform, ranked Doh Athan among the top three news platforms in Myanmar in its list of the country’s 90 best blogs and websites. This is a testament to the project’s growing reach and editorial impact.
The number of subscribers continued to grow thanks to the diversification of platforms and the evaluation of the formats produced. Despite losing its partnership with Voice of America due to USAID budget cuts, Doh Athan developed a partnership with Federal FM radio, which also broadcasts and publishes its content in Burmese and Kayah. This collaboration has made it possible to reach communities in conflict-affected areas, including internally displaced persons, and has generated significant local engagement.
Priorities
- Address human rights issues
- Consolidate our Burmese and international audiences
- Strengthen partnerships with local reporters and media outlets
Activities
- Production of the Doh Athan podcast and multiple audio, video, and reel formats for FM broadcast and social media distribution.
While Doh Athan has found its place in Myanmar’s information space, as evidenced by its growing audience and recognition of its editorial quality, Fondation Hirondelle will continue its commitment by supporting Frontier Myanmar in developing a sustainable business model and promoting quality content that remains relevant to its audience.
These developments are taking place in an increasingly difficult economic context for Myanmar’s media and the organizations that support them. Added to these constraints are the difficulties of working and generating financial resources while based in exile. In addition, media professionals are under daily moral and psychological pressure. Fondation Hirondelle remains committed to supporting Frontier’s development strategy and the independence of the media in Myanmar.
Our impact
Contribution to maintaining an independent information space;
Production of quality content;
Economic support for independent journalists and reporters in the country and in exile;
Several hundred thousand people reached, the majority of whom are between 25 and 34 years old, with 84.8% based in Myanmar and 15.2% from the Burmese diaspora.
Testimonial
“Doh Athan encourages me to consider other perspectives. The interview with the deserter, who believed he was acting for the greater good, was particularly enlightening: it’s a perspective I had never seen in other media.”
Feedback from a human rights activist in Myanmar