Mizzima awarded global JTI certificate for reliable news on Myanmar

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Mizzima Mizzima, one of Myanmar ’s most prominent news outlets and a press freedom advocate, obtained the Journalism Trust Initiative ( JTI ) certification from global audit firm Bureau Veritas , JTI says in a press statement 5 January.  Operating in clandestine mode within Myanmar and supported by an exiled team, Mizzima strives to fulfil its role as reliable source of news and information for the Myanmar public. “Your Journalism Trust Initiative certification affirms what audiences already know: that principled, transparent journalism matters. Congratulations on this achievement and on your continued contribution to informing citizens about Myanmar,” says Benjamin Sabbah , director of Journalism Trust Initiative “Myanmar’s ongoing conflict has created an intensely contested media landscape, where mis- and disinformation are increasingly deployed to reinforce state propaganda and the prevailing “official” narrative. Although Mizzima is already regarded as one of the most trusted ...

Burmese flooding affects 85,000 people

Monday, 27 August 2012 13:47 Mizzima News

The Burmese government has said that 85,000 people have been driven from their homes by heavy flooding.

The Irrawaddy Delta - where 130,000 people died in a cyclone in 2008 - has been the hardest-hit area.

Flooding around Pyinmagu village, Kangyidauk Township, in Irrawaddy region on Sunday, August 26, 2012. Photo: Min Min / Mizzima

Unusually heavy monsoon rains have inundated around 250,000 hectares of rice fields, the government said.

The government said it has set up more than 200 emergency relief centers to help those who have had to leave their homes.

Next year's rice harvest is expected to be significantly affected. Rice is a key export for Burma and the staple diet for most of the population.

The BBC South-East Asia correspondent said the floods could be a test how the new government responds to natural disasters.

When Cyclone Nargis devastated communities across the Irrawaddy Delta four years ago, the then-military government arrested scores of people who reported the scale of the disaster and tried to provide relief to victims. The government also impeded international aid efforts.

Burma now has a new civilian-based government and an elected Parliament, which has undertaken significant reform efforts.

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