Toe Zaw Latt of Burma’s independent outlet Mizzima: “Our job is to protect democracy by protecting truth” (ABC)
When the military staged its coup in Burma — which it had renamed Myanmar — in February 2021, the first institution it suppressed was the media. Offices were raided, licenses revoked, and journalists arrested, tortured, or forced into hiding. The coup not only overturned a fragile democratic experiment, it pushed Burma’s independent press back into exile.
For Toe Zaw Latt, a veteran journalist who has spent more than 20 years reporting on Southeast Asia, it was déjà vu.
We were students in 1988 and we didn’t accept the military coup. We were very angry, like the young people in 2021.
Back then, there was no independent media apart from state media, and that was only one version of the truth, the army’s version. We had to listen secretly to BBC Burmese or All India Radio to know what was happening in our own country.
Toe recalls his decision to take up the pen:
“I didn’t want to be a journalist in those days. I wanted to be a freedom fighter So, I spent my time fighting for freedom along the Thai–Burma border, India–Burma border, also sometimes overseas. That’s how I started.
But at some point, I started to realize the importance of information, rather unbiased information to be specific. Then I decided to be the carrier as a journalist, as a trained journalist.
Journalism on the Run
Mizzima, the independent media house where Toe works as a senior editor today, was founded in 1998 and operated from New Delhi as an exile platform. Its aim was to provide fair and balanced news coverage of Burma.
Amid political reforms in 2012, Mizzima opened in Burma. But after the 2021 coup, it was among the media outlets which were raided by the military. Seven staff, including its co-founder, were detained and tortured.
The organization now operates “one-foot-in, one-foot-out”, with journalists clandestinely gathering news inside Burma and production hubs in Thailand and India packaging the reports for broadcast.
“If we don’t report, nobody will know what is happening in our country,” says Toe, who is also the Secretary of the Independent Press Council of Myanmar. “We are not alternative media. We are the mainstream, because inside Burma there is only censorship and propaganda.”
Taking the risks, Mizzima remains one of Burma’s most extensive news sources, reaching millions through satellite TV, radio, and Facebook.
Toe believes trust is the reason: “Our editorial principle is simple: report what is happening, no more, no less. We don’t take sides, and we don’t let our personal feelings interfere. People know we are objective.”
Battling Propaganda and Disinformation
Mizzima not only has to defy the military. It has to fight for reliable news online. Toe explains:
Misinformation and disinformation are one of the biggest problems in Myanmar. There is very low media literacy. Facebook only became widely available around 2013, and suddenly people had a flood of information but no skills to judge what was true.
The junta systematically censors independent outlets while flooding social media with propaganda. Complete blackouts deny Burma’s people access to information about their own country and the world.
Mizzima has responded with a weekly program, Misinformation Buster, which debunks false claims and teaches viewers how to verify online content.
“We show people how to fact-check, even with simple tools like reverse image searches,” Toe says. “If they’re not sure about a post, they can send it to us and we will verify. It’s about building habits of critical thinking.”
He believes Burma’s younger generation is better equipped to resist manipulation: “Gen Z are digital natives, they can spot misinformation more easily. But older people, who are new to social media, are much more vulnerable. That’s why training and education are so important.”
Training is now central to Mizzima’s mission. The Mizzima Media Training Institute provides courses not only in journalism but also in safety and resilience.
Toe tells his students that professionalism and integrity are as vital as technical skills: “Be loyal to your people. Be fair. Don’t let personal emotion dictate your reporting. Journalism is built on trust, and once you betray that, you lose everything.”
He maintains that objectivity does not mean neutrality in the face of repression, “We openly say we stand for democracy and human rights. But in our reporting, we stick to facts. That is the line we never cross.”
The Struggle to Survive
While Mizzima has maintained editorial credibility, its financial survival is increasingly precarious. Before the coup, the outlet was self-sustaining through advertising and business ventures. That revenue has vanished, and international funding is shrinking.
Mizzima now receives less than 40% of the support it had in 2023–2024. The Trump Administration’s demolition of the US Agency for International Development has cut off a vital source.
“We suddenly had to depend totally on donors,” Toe said. “At the same time, we have to cover daily bombings, conflict reporting, and prepare for the 2025 election, which we know will not be free or fair. We have big tasks but very limited
resources.”
To survive, Mizzima has begun experimenting with YouTube monetization, subscriptions, and even side businesses. But Toe admits these cannot replace core funding.
Delegations have been traveling to Europe to lobby for support, meeting the European Union, foreign ministries, and press councils. Toe was among the group conferring with the Irish Press Council and the Foreign Ministry earlier this month.
“Our main requests are for support to keep the Mizzima Media Training Institute running and to ensure we can carry out proper election reporting,” he explains. “The Irish Press Council has been very supportive.”
He points to the possibility of further backing from India: “The fact that Mizzima started in New Delhi shows the kind of support we received. We know that geopolitical priorities are shifting, but we still look at India as a critical partner in helping restore Myanmar’s democracy.”
Toe and his colleagues will visit New Delhi in November, at the invitation of the Press Club of India.
A Fragile Yet Fervent Hope for Democracy
Burma is a country in conflict. The junta controls only around a fifth of the territory, while resistance forces and ethnic groups hold much of the rest.
Toe believes the balance of power is shifting: “I have never seen such determination from the younger generation. They will not give up on democracy. The military has never faced such widespread resistance.”
He observes that, unlike past uprisings, this resistance is largely home-grown, “It is the Myanmar people themselves. Young people are refusing conscription, either joining the resistance or fleeing. They simply do not want to live under military rule.”
Noting other risings in the region, such as the protests in Nepal, Toe finds hope.
I believe it is only a matter of time before democracy and human rights are restored, led by Generation Z. Everywhere in the region, from Nepal to Indonesia, from East Timor to Thailand, we’ve seen young people at the forefront of change. Myanmar’s youth are inspired by these movements.
Of course, our situation is harder because the army is the oppressor, not a neutral force. But even so, seeing young people in other countries overthrow authoritarian regimes has given our people hope.
Mizzima embodies that tension between fragility and resilience. It is both a newsroom and a classroom: an exile operation keeping the flow of independent news alive, and a training ground for the next generation of reporters.
But even as the outlet is watched by millions, it faces collapse without international support. Toe reflects:
Without independent media, there can be no real democracy. That is the simple equation. Our job is to protect democracy by protecting truth.
