Fondation Hirondelle and Frontier Myanmar have been collaborating since 2017 to produce and broadcast Doh Athan (“Our Voices”), a podcast focused on human rights issues.
Frontier Myanmar is a multi-award-winning online news magazine covering the country’s current events. It was one of the first media outlets to develop a paid membership model and audience community as a strategy for economic viability.
Doh Athan is also the first podcast to be produced in Burmese. Since the 2021 coup, most podcast team members have been working in exile and relying on a network of reporters and media partners from different states, regions and ethnic groups in the country.
Financial volume 2024
329 048 CHF
Funding
- Suisse (SDC Core Contribution)
- Fondation Büchi
- Fondation Temperatio
Key figures 2024
132,700 social media followers
50 podcasts in Burmese, 47 in English
10 trained media professionals
3 partner media outlets
14 videos in Burmese and 13 in English
16 hours of broadcasts
BACKGROUND
Myanmar’s fragile experiment in democracy was brought to an abrupt end by a military coup in February 2021. Since then, more than 27,000 civilians have been arrested by the junta and more than 6,000 people have been killed. Armed resistance has spread throughout the country, leading to the displacement of over 3 million people. Journalists run heavy risks within the borders of Myanmar, which is considered to be the country that imprisons the most journalists per capita.
Essential coverage of human rights issues in Myanmar
In 2024, against this troubled backdrop, Doh Athan produced podcasts about human rights in Burmese and English. The podcast has highlighted the impact of the conflict in the wake of the 2021 coup on the lives of Myanmar’s citizens, addressing topics such as their means of survival, health, employment and education. It has documented the obstacles faced by these citizens as well as by marginalised groups experiencing discrimination and human rights violations. The podcast has also followed the experiences of Burmese migrants and refugees abroad. Doh Athan Doh Talk, a discussion programme launched in 2023 that gives a voice to experts, academics and activists, continued to be produced.
In parallel, special video reports (interviews, short videos, etc.) were produced to mark significant dates or to portray activists working in the field of human rights.
In 2024, Doh Athan worked with 3 local media partners and freelance journalists, who were all remunerated for their work. These partnerships provided support to Myanmar’s media players while improving their skills and providing audiences with reporting from different regions in the country. This collaboration received support in the form of coaching by a Fondation Hirondelle editorial consultant.
Priorities
- Address human rights issues
- Consolidate our Burmese and international audiences
- Strengthen our partnerships with local media
Activities
- Produce a weekly podcast, videos, What’s happening in Myanmar, and other short online content
- Coach Frontier Myanmar’s journalists and reporters
Doh Athan produces podcasts not only in Burmese, but also in English. The podcasts and videos are broadcast on social media platforms (Facebook, YouTube, SoundCloud and Spotify) as well as on partners’ websites and social media accounts. The number of subscribers on Facebook and YouTube has continued to grow,
thanks to the diversification of platforms and the evolution of content formats. Doah Athan is also broadcast on shortwave and FM radio by our partner, Voice of America.
Maintaining the project over the long term requires investment to ensure that the programme remains an essential part of the media landscape for exiled Burmese citizens. However, a lack of international funding is affecting independent media outlets located both in Myanmar and in exile. Although Doh Athan has not been directly affected, it too faces financial challenges.
Our impact
The Doh Athan podcast broadcasts the voices of hundreds of people affected by the conflict and by discrimination and human rights violations. It fosters a collective memory of the crisis by describing everyday struggles, ways of adapting, and the resilience of ordinary individuals. It also features leading national and international experts who help to explain the current situation.
Testimonial
“Doh Athan motivates me to take on different points of view. The interview
with the deserter, who felt he was acting for the good, was especially
revealing. It’s a perspective that I’d never seen in other media.”
Feedback from a human rights activist in Myanmar