Myanmar state media to become 'public service' press
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Buy SPH photosYANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's state newspapers, long mouthpieces of the country's previous military regime, signalled a historic change in focus on Saturday, announcing a plan to transform themselves into "public service media".
Three state-owned dailies - the English-language New Light of Myanmar, its Myanmar-language edition Myanma Alin and Kyemon (The Mirror) - are set for a revamp, with a new governing body, the newspapers reported.
The new committee will "adopt necessary policies and programmes, draw necessary ethics and principles... to transform (the newspapers) to public service media", said the New Light of Myanmar.
Myanmar's state press has shown scant signs of modernising - except for an increase in celebrity gossip - since the country began its reforms under a quasi-civilian regime last year.
