Beyond Borders | Myanmar On Our Minds, Online Spaces and Food Choices
As summer kicks in across Southeast Asia, its political temperatures have been rising too, whether in Myanmar, Thailand or the Philippines.
In this issue, our Myanmar articles look into how Asean needs to find a way to use diplomacy to save lives, and how Singaporeans find that country's crisis quite distant although Singaporean products are the target of an ongoing boycott.
We tell you too about what our survey in our #fighttheinfodemic series shows: Southeast Asians rate themselves highly in judging the reliability of news, but differ on how to handle unverified content, including around COVID-19. Our data visualizations allow us to step back and take a one-year perspective at how Southeast Asia responded to the pandemic through various stringency measures.
We have a feature that looks at how plant-based or plant-rich foods are picking up in the region and shows you how yes, what you food on your plate does matter for our sick planet.
Our Q&A in the #mediaonmedia set checks in on the Philippines' largest broadcaster ABS-CBN, eight months after it lost its operating franchise in the country's polarized political environment.
Coming soon: A look at Myanmar's embattled media, along with an interview with a journalist's group in that country, plus a chat with Lao Youth Radio.
Johanna Son
Editor/Founder - Reporting ASEAN
1 Survey Says? It's Complicated
Keep Quiet or Speak Up When Someone Sends Unverified Content? Tough. — www.reportingasean.net The results of a Reporting ASEAN survey give interesting views into how Southeast Asians interact with news and misinformation, including amid COVID-19. Plus - a total of 99% said they had 'average' to 'excellent' skills in judging the reliability of content.
2 Myanmar On Our Minds
To Mediate In Myanmar, ASEAN Needs A New Template — www.reportingasean.net
By JOHANNA SON
Asean has been pooh-poohed by many, but it is still the most pragmatic bet for talking to Myanmar's military. But can it convene a coordinated international response, with the west as bad cop and it as the negotiator, under heightened expectations about its doing 'the right thing' in our digitally connected world?
Anger in Myanmar, But Crisis Distant to Singaporeans — www.reportingasean.net
By SHIN LIN
Singaporean businesses in Myanmar are the target of boycott calls among Myanmar's post-coup protest movement, as the city-state is the largest foreign investor in the country.
3 COVID-19, A Year On
How did Southeast Asia Respond? — www.reportingasean.net
Our two data visualisations provide a year-long perspective of how Southeast Asia responded to COVID-19 in terms of stringency measures. COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Mar 11, 2020. Data viz by Yvonne T Chua.
Plant-based Food Finds Its Way Into Post-pandemic Menu — www.reportingasean.net
By JOHANNA SON
Southeast Asians are finding more - and more flavourful - plant-based food in their midst, amid anxiety about human and planetary health, COVID-19 and pandemics.
Yes, What You Put On Your Plate Matters — www.reportingasean.net “I don’t consume wildlife stuff, so how can eating meat relate to the pandemic?’ If you have asked this before, you will want to dig into this Q&A with ADB environmental specialist Francesco Riccardi.
4 #mediaonmedia
The Philippines' ABS-CBN Network: ‘Shutdown Fast-tracked Our Digital Transformation’ — www.reportingasean.net
By BOOMA CRUZ
Eight months after it lost its franchise to operate in the Philippines' polarised political setting, the country's largest network is disproving the sceptics who say legacy media are too clumsy to pivot to digital.
5 Clickworthy
Preparing for the Dark — insightmyanmar.org Settling into the new reality.
For Some The Nightmare Has Returned, But for Ethnic People It Never Stopped — www.myanmar-now.org
But just as our nightmare did not start with the coup, neither did our struggle.
China and Russia Are Beating the West at Vaccine Diplomacy — www.bloomberg.com While the West hoards Covid-19 jabs like rocket fuel, Russia and China are deploying them strategically around the world.