Nant Khaing — Myanmar Press Council (MPC) Chairman Ohn Kyaing said that they will coordinate with Union Election Commission (UEC) for covering election news during the forthcoming 2020 general elections over the whole country, not only in the designated townships.

“Reporters can have the right to information and free access to information regarding elections from the election commission but the previous government imposed restrictions on covering election news. The reporters could cover election news only in the designated townships, say, if a reporter was allowed to cover election news in Pazundaung Township, he could not cover news from other townships. Now it will be changed. We coordinated them to cover election news in the whole country freely,” Ohn Kyaing said at a regular press meeting of the MPC on January 10.

It is learned that MPC has plans to provide training to reporters who will cover election news in coming elections in cooperation with the UEC.

MPC chairman Ohn Kyaing said that they would provide training to reporters from the States and Regions by calling them to the townships concerned for covering election news and the code of conduct for reporters.

“We need to provide trainings to reporters on the election manual, regulations, media law etc. The reporters from States and Regions will be grouped in the States and townships concerned and then we will provide media training for them with the election manual. These trainings will be not only election training, there will also be media training. We plan to show them how to cover election news, how to edit news and media ethics prescribed in the Media Law,” Ohn Kyaing said.

It is learned that MPC, UEC and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) will jointly organize a forum in Naypyitaw on January 14 for providing information on ethics and conduct with which the media persons should comply during the election period.