From Resistance to Survival: Myanmar’s Free Press Battles US Aid Cuts
Picture: A policeman standing guard is surrounded by journalists outside the house of detained Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon, Myanmar, on 5 February 2025, during an attempt to auction the lakeside mansion. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)
In an article by Fulcrum, Surachanee Sriyai discusses the repercussions of the United States’ funding freeze on foreign assistance in Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar, one of the countries where press freedom and independent reportage are most threatened.
The defunding of these services is not just a financial decision but a strategic retreat from global press freedom efforts. Meanwhile, the global press freedom crisis is exacerbated by European governments’ shifting priorities, with several countries diverting resources towards self-defence amid Russia’s conflict with Ukraine and other geopolitical flashpoints.
The impact of the Trump administration’s funding cuts is already felt. VOA, which reached 361 million people weekly, and RFA had to scale back their coverage and put most of their staff on furlough. For decades, these two outlets and others under USAGM have reported news on repressive regimes and marginalised communities to the wider international audience in multiple languages. The ending or scaling back of their operations will hinder the world’s access to information, especially when support for independent journalism is declining.
Myanmar’s independent media is another victim of this trend. The military coup on 1 February 2021 annihilated Myanmar’s fragile path towards stronger press freedom that had been growing since the previous junta was disbanded in 2011. In 2021, Reporters Without Borders ranked the country at 140 out of 180 sample countries. Since then, it has hovered near the bottom 10: Myanmar was ranked 176th (2022), 173rd (2023), and 171st in 2024. Following the 2021 coup, some independent media outlets sought refuge in Thailand, now home to at least 60 exiled media houses, according to a February 2025 closed-door ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute roundtable among Myanmar media partners.
