Myanmar

Myanmar’s governing institutions were reconfigured during this cycle without altering the position of its state media. The State Administration Council was dissolved and the nationwide state of emergency ended on 31 July 2025, four and a half years after the February 2021 coup, while new state-of-emergency and martial-law measures were imposed across 63 townships in nine regions and states. Elections were held in three phases from 28 December 2025 through January 2026, the Pyithu Hluttaw convened on 16 March and the Amyotha Hluttaw on 18 March, Min Aung Hlaing was elected President on 3 April and a 34-member Union Government took office on 10 April. Emergency rule nevertheless continued locally: on 23 April the President issued Ordinance 1/2026 declaring a 90-day state of emergency across 60 townships in Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Rakhine and Shan states and Sagaing, Magway and Mandalay regions, with a companion order transferring administrative and judicial authority there to the Commander-in-Chief. On 21 July, Ordinance 3/2026 extended the emergency for a further 90 days in all but Falam and Tonzang townships in Chin State, and Ordinance 4/2026 continued martial law in the remaining areas. The International Crisis Group describes the outcome as military consolidation rather than political transition, with loyalists in key positions.

The Ministry of Information changed minister during the restructuring: Maung Maung Ohn, minister since August 2021, became Deputy Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw in March 2026, and U Htein Lin took the portfolio in April. U Ye Tint remained Deputy Minister, a post he had held before the transition. No mapped outlet changed ownership, funding basis or supervisory line.

RSF ranks Myanmar 166th of 180 in 2026 with a score of 26.38, against 169th and 25.32 in 2025. Its weakest indicators are security, at 173rd with 17.82, and legal, at 169th with 20.94. CPJ’s prison census recorded 30 journalists jailed on 1 December 2025, making Myanmar the world’s second-worst jailer after China. The statutory Broadcasting Council created by the 2015 Broadcasting Law was brought under military control by the November 2023 amendment, which redefined the council as a body formed with members of the military authorities. Independent journalism operates underground or in exile, and reductions in international support during 2025 and 2026 pushed exile newsrooms into severe financial distress.

State Media Monitor maps three organisations in Myanmar, and all three are classified State-Controlled (SC). None has been classified in an independent category at any point in the 2022–2026 window.

Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) — a department of the Ministry of Information, founded 15 February 1946 as the Burma Broadcasting Service. Its own Broadcasting Code identifies it as a government broadcasting channel. It served as the announcement vehicle for the dissolution of the SAC, the election timetable and the martial-law declarations.

News and Periodicals Enterprise (NPE) — the ministry’s state-owned print and news enterprise, publishing Myanma Alinn, Kyemon and The Global New Light of Myanmar alongside the Myanmar News Agency and Myanmar Digital News. SMM interviews indicate over 80% state funding. In April 2026 the new minister instructed staff to report on the government’s first hundred days.

Myawady Group (MWD) — the Tatmadaw’s own network, run by the Directorate of Public Relations and Psychological Warfare under the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army), whose four stated functions include psychological warfare. It sits outside the ministry structure entirely.

The distinction that matters is administrative rather than categorical. MRTV and NPE are ministry-administered; MWD is military-administered. A multilingual body formed on 31 January 2026, led by a Deputy Defence Minister and drawing members from both the directorate and civilian ministries, points towards convergence rather than separation.

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