Approaching The Story
An introduction to my reporting and research on Burma
When I started this blog my goal had been to let you in on the reporting process. Transparency matters; in today’s media climate more than ever.
It’s taken a bit to get here. The year 2020 has been a weird, wild ride. Today, I’ll share a few first thoughts and observations from the assignment development desk. The first big topic I’ll discuss is Burma. More to follow.
For this first post, I’ll mention What I’m Looking Into, follow with What I’m Researching, and close with What Follows.
What I’m Looking Into
Burma. Or Myanmar depending on whom you ask. I might get into that difference in a future post.
We’ve all heard about the Rohingya refugee crisis. Through contacts in Prague, I’ve begun to learn more about this country, its people, its challenges, its diversity, its fascination.
I’m only at the beginning of the road. I’m not proclaiming to be an expert or to know it all — and never will be. That’s not what journalists do. We are curious. We find out stuff, ask questions, and try to find answers. Along the way, we look for compelling stories that answer those questions and help the public to learn about and connect with the world at large.
But what I’ve learned already is that Burma is a complex country that — as important as the Rohingya crisis is — has more stories that need telling than the Rohingya crisis.
It’s a country on a path from military dictatorship to democracy. It’s a country that is made up of a variety of ethnic and religious groups — from the Bamar to the Karen, Shan, Arakanese, or Rohingya and from the Buddhist majority to Muslims, a variety of Christian fates, Jewish communities, or Hindus (to name but a few).
Many of the minority groups face challenges and dangers. The world has heard of the difficult path of the Rohingya. What I’m interested in is the path of those minorities we haven’t heard of much or at all yet.
Before I drop another hint or two about where I’m headed with this, let’s look at a few of my findings so far that have guided me through the always challenging (but rewarding and enjoyable) task of developing assignments.
What I’m Researching
Every story has context.
Nothing is truly new anymore. There have been other journalists (and other types of storytellers) that have come before. And there will be others that follow. That’s the nature of life.
Perusing the work that’s out there, that’s already been done is essential. It’s an activity that informs and educates, that connects, that builds the reporting house from the ground up.
Research is a vital first step in journalism. While it all begins with curiosity, the urge to learn about a topic, a place, or a people, the next step is even more important. Critical thinking (or the reflection of the information absorbed) defines what we do with the information, which parts we use, which parts we don’t use, which parts we file as background reference, and so forth.
A big part of journalism, as one professor of mine once termed it, is to constantly keep one’s thinking cap on.
There are two findings I’d like to point out at this stage.
First, from the visual side of things. While I’m eyeing Europe-based stories, for now, the bigger picture perspective always builds the framework for assignments. Seeing pictures about the country, finding photographers (and writers) who’ve documented the region already, leads to more information, some answers, and more questions.
These two articles here and here handed me the names of five photographers: Kyaw Kyaw Winn, David Lazar, Aung Pyae Soe, Catherine Karnow, and Bennett Stevens.
I’ll probably write more about where those names lead me in the future.
The second find is from the world of the written word. An interesting segment from the NPR show All Things Considered brought me the names Emma Larkin and George Orwell.
Larkin is a pseudonym of an American writer who was born and still lives in Asia. Her first book is called “Exploring Burma Through George Orwell.” The NPR segment linked above includes an interview with her, where she talks about the book and how Orwell and Burma connect.
After finding Larkin and her work (and immediately penning it to the top of my reading list), I added three more books to said list: George Orwell’s “Burmese Days” (seen as a portrayal of Burma’s colonial-era), “Animal Farm” (seen as Burma’s road to socialism in the second half of the twentieth century), and “1984” (sadly not yet properly read; seen as a mirror image of present-day Burma or the rule of an authoritarian regime).
Much reading and thinking to do. Always trying to balance the scales between too much and too little research. I’ll write more soon.
What’s Next
I won’t go into too many specifics about where the development is headed at this time, but I’ll be back with further observations, descriptions of the processes involved, and interesting findings I’m ready to share. Just a small hint: my current thoughts circle around the Christian refugees who’ve come to Europe, integration, and democratization efforts from afar.
But before I have more to write on Burma, I’ll share a similar post, with a different assignment focus, on Friday.
