| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Publisher | Ministry of Information |
| Founded | 1914 |
| Language | Burmese |
| Headquarters | Yangon, Myanmar |
| Circulation | 220,000+[1] |
| Official website | [1] |
Myanmar Alin (Burmese: မြန်မာ့အလင်း, pronounced [mjəma̯ ʔəlɪ́ɴ]; also Myanmar Ahlin or Myanma Ahlin) is a state-run Burmese language daily newspaper and the longest running newspaper in circulation in Myanmar. The daily is considered to be the official Burmese language mouthpiece of the military government of Myanmar.[2]
Contents |
Myanmar Alin was founded as a magazine in 1914 during the British colonial era in Yangon. The paper was known for its anti-colonialist stance before World War II. The paper was nationalized in 1969 by Gen. Ne Win's military government, which seized power in 1962. By then, all the daily newspapers in Myanmar were state run, and Myanmar Alin was one of four Burmese language dailies left standing, (along with The Botataung, Working People's Daily, and Kyemon). The paper survived the further consolidation of daily papers imposed by the current military government, which has whittled down the number of national Burmese language dailies in Myanmar to two. (Mandalay's the Yadanabon is a local paper.)
The front and back pages of all Burmese newspapers are almost all government related news and propaganda. Most of the domestic news comes from the official government news agency, Myanmar News Agency (MNA). The foreign news are usually one to two days old. At any rate, most Burmese read papers not for the news but for advertisements and announcements like weddings and obituaries. In 2006, the base rate for advertising was US$15 per inch per column and US$1100 for a half-page advertisement.[1]