Soe Myint is an award winning Burmese journalist who has worked in the media field since 1992 in different capacities including reporting, managing, and training. He founded Mizzima (derived from the Pali word for “middle” or “moderate”) in New Delhi, India, in 1998 together with Daw Thin Thin Aung. He spent the next 24 years in exile, while Myanmar was under a military dictatorship, growing Mizzima into a leading voice of news and information on Myanmar.

In early 2012, Mizzima became the first exile media to move back inside Myanmar after the country adopted democratic changes. As a registered Myanmar entity, Mizzima grew to be one of the top three independent media houses in the country.

However, the military regime forcibly shut down Mizzima’s TV channel following the 1 February 2021 coup. The regime then revoked all media licenses of Mizzima and raided its Yangon headquarters on 9 March. Mizzima, himself and 17 other Mizzima journalists are being charged by the junta for Mizzima’s continued reporting work after the coup – facing life in prison, or worse. So far, six Mizzima journalists, including co-founder Daw Thin Thin Aung, have been arrested and tortured by the regime. Yet, Soe Myint and his Mizzima colleagues continue to work from different locations inside and outside the country.

With some 140 employees, Mizzima broadcasts and publishes independent news, information, and entertainment via two satellite Free-To-Air TV channels, SW and FM radio, websites, Facebook, YouTube, and Mizzima Application, reaching more than 30 million readers and viewers every day inside and outside Myanmar. Today, Mizzima is the leading source of news and information for Myanmar media consumers. Mizzima has also established the Mizzima Media Training Institute inside Myanmar to train the next generation of Myanmar media personnel.

Soe Myint is a regular speaker and invited guest at forums on media in Myanmar and currently serves as Chairperson for the Media Development Committee of Burma News International. He was the 2022 Greeley Peace Scholar at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and recipient of the 2022 East-West Center Journalist of Courage and Impact Award. Soe Myint’s publications include the 2003 release “Burma File: A Question of Democracy”, as well as numerous articles in various periodicals.