Mizzima, derived from the Pali for middle or moderate and chosen for its inference of an unbiased and independent media, was established in 1998 in New Delhi, India, by veterans of Myanmar’s 1988 pro-democracy uprising. Founder Soe Myint and co-founder Thin Thin Aung participated in the movement for democracy and they were in exile in India as refugees. Since its founding the aim of Mizzima has been to provide high quality news relating to Myanmar while contributing toward freedom of expression and the realization of an inclusive and democratic Myanmar for all the country’s peoples.
Mizzima operated for nearly 15 years as an exile-based media organization, with a liaison office in Chiang Mai, Thailand, complimenting the organization’s headquarters in India. However, in the wake of domestic reforms in Myanmar implemented following the onset of parliamentary governance in 2011, Mizzima, in 2012, became the first formerly exile-based media organization to gain incorporation as a local media entity, registering in Myanmar as Mizzima Media Co. Ltd.
Today, Mizzima produces an array of multi-media products and can claim to be one of the top five private media houses in Myanmar. Our current production lines include our long-standing Burmese and English language websites (www.mizzimaburmese.com and www.mizzima.com) along with a digital daily newspaper in Burmese and weekly English language magazine. Moreover, in 2017 Mizzima was awarded one of five licenses to operate an independent Free-to-Air digital TV channel (www.mizzima.tv). This crowning achievement is further recognition of Mizzima as a major media power in Myanmar, buttressing our national outreach and influence.
As Myanmar continues to evolve following decades of authoritarian rule, Mizzima further prides itself on our active cooperation with other national and international stakeholders in the media reform process in Myanmar, including extensive working relationships with ethnic and regional media houses throughout the country. It is not an exaggeration to say that every day and week thousands – including a diverse international audience in addition to Myanmar’s domestic consumer base – turn to Mizzima for the latest information and analysis of events impacting Myanmar’s continued development.
Following the entrenchment of Mizzima as a for-profit domestic media house with our Yangon headquarters, Mizzima Foundation was established as a non-profit entity to further serve the people of Myanmar in keeping with the original mission of Mizzima. It was established in 2015 as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Mizzima Media with the aim of supporting knowledge-based social interventions that foster the unity and integrity of Myanmar while contributing to the peace, security and development of the country.
As a CSR wing of Mizzima Media, the Foundation is set up for the purpose of serving Myanmar society by contributing to social change and economic development in ways that are consistent with and complimentary to our core media business while simultaneously nurturing a broadly inclusive and prosperous Myanmar.
Mizzima believes that only with the security of a free and vibrant media in Myanmar, can the country’s full potential be realized. As such, Mizzima is proud of our legacy as a founding member of independent media in Myanmar and looks forward to growing and prospering in tandem with the country over the years and decades to come.
Mission Statement
Vision
To be a leading independent media organisation on Myanmar, playing a vital role in building democracy & informing citizens.
Mission Statement
Mizzima aims to provide high quality news on a variety of topics with hard news, features, investigative stories, etc. relating to Myanmar which is balanced, timely, and accurate for Burmese and international audiences.
By producing high quality news, Mizzima contributes to freedom of expression, opinion and the free flow of information in the public interest.
Code of Ethics
This Code of Ethics was adopted by Mizzima journalists in Delhi, India on October 1, 2004.
1. Report the Truth. The journalist shall be committed to reporting the truth. They shall not report groundless accusations or rumors. They shall not exaggerate but honestly interpret all news and information.
2. They shall verify all information. Information from anonymous informants shall not be published, except in the case where the information is of vital importance for the public, and it shall be presented as unverified.
3. They shall be balanced, fair and impartial. The journalist shall not suppress essential facts and shall not distort the truth. They shall not use misleading emphasis so as to distort facts.
4. Plagiarism will not be practiced, sanctioned or tolerated.
5. They shall be independent. A journalist shall remain free from external or internal influence.
6. They shall identify themselves. A journalist shall identify themselves and the organisation they work for. They shall tell people they may be recorded and their words published except in the case of investigating confidential or inaccessible information.
7. Respect privacy. A journalist shall not invade the privacy of an individual especially during time of grief or stress. A journalist shall respect an individual’s private life unless it is in the public interest or the public’s right to know.
8. Correct mistakes. A journalist shall acknowledge and correct mistakes immediately when they have been made.
9. Be honest in dealing with people. A journalist shall be honest in their dealings with people. They shall not set up people in either interviews, situations or photographs. They will not try to entrap people. They shall not create stories or falsify interviews.
10. Information should be gathered in an ethical and lawful way. Payments and bribes for information shall not be made.
11. Identify the source of information. The journalist shall always identify the source of information and obtain permission to use the names and in some cases, details of sources, except in exceptional cases where anonymity is requested. The journalist must honor their word when they have agreed to anonymity for the source.
12. The journalist shall not accept gifts, compensation, money or bribes.
13. The journalist shall not use professional information for their personal benefit.
14. The journalist shall respect the dignity of all people and shall not violate human rights.
15. The right to information. The journalist has a right and obligation to receive and disseminate information to the public and acknowledges it is one of the major freedoms of the individual to have access to information. The journalist shall view information as free and shall not use it as merchandise or as their own property.
16. The journalist shall not impede another journalist in gathering information, shall not intentionally mislead another journalist, or report on them to the authorities.
17. Neither individual journalists nor separate editorial staff shall settle old scores with each other via mass media. Such behavior harms not only to their reputation but also the prestige and reputation of their profession.
18. Struggle against censorship.
19. Freedom of the press. The journalist shall remain committed to the freedom of the press around the world and shall stand in solidarity with journalists who daily fight for this freedom.
Mizzima Media Group
Mizzima Media Co. Ltd.
www.mizzima.com, www.mizzimaburmese.com, www.mizzimaweekly.com, www.mizzima.tv
Contact
Email - [email protected]
For sales and marketing – [email protected]
Mobile: +95-9421010111
Phone/Fax: +95-1-295398
Mizzima Media Yangon Head Office
Building A3, Wing B, Star City, Kyaik Khauk Pagoda Road, Thanlyin, Yangon Region. MYANMAR.
Mizzima Media Nay Pyi Taw Office
No. 2184-B, Corner of Kysapnadi Street & Sein Pan Pyar Street, Shwe Kyar Pin Ward, Zabu Thiri Township, Nay Pyi Taw, MYANMAR
