Burmese government ends media censorship

It's a good day for the press in Burma. The Burmese government have officially lifted their...

11:20 21 August 2012

It's a good day for the press in Burma. The Burmese government have officially lifted their pre-publication censorship of the country's media outlets. 

 

The move is the latest in an increasing list of political reforms across the Southeast Asian nation. 

 

President Thein Sein's reformist government has been loosening the grip of the previous leaders. 

 

Via its official website, the Orwellian titled Information Ministry, made the announcement that the change is underway. 

 

This means that journalists will no longer have to send their work over to the censors prior to publication as was required for the last 50 years. 

 

"Censorship began on 6 August 1964 and ended 48 years and two weeks later," Tint Swe, head of the PSRD, told AFP news agency on Monday.

 

Roughly 300 newspapers and magazines covering less sensitive news items have also be given permission to print without being censored first. 

 

Bans and restrictions were also lifted on 30,000 internet sites, allowing the masses unrestricted access to political content which will be for the first time for many readers. 

 

It's not a complete lift on censorship, however. Reporters will still have to send their stories to the Press Scrutiny Department after they are published in order for the government monitors to determine whether their work violated any publishing laws.

 

It is also not clear if journalists could be punished if the government doesn't approve of published articles.