An MRTV crew interviews actress Myint Myint Khine before the Myanmar Academy Awards ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw in February 2009.

WE are in the age of information and the role of the media is changing at a rapid pace. Here in Myanmar, many private journals have appeared in the past two years as publishers aim to quench readers’ thirst for information.

And this media boom has brought with it many job opportunities, particularly for young people. But what kind of person chooses to become a journalist – and why?

Ma May Nge, chief reporter at the Pyi Myanmar news journal, says she has always had a very inquisitive mind and believes this character trait pushed her towards journalism.

“Since finishing my [BA (Myanmar)] degree course, I wanted to work in the media field but as I did not have any contacts, I didn’t know how to apply for that kind of job. So I had to work other kinds of jobs for a few years,” she says. “In 2004, one of my friends informed me that Pyi Myanmar news journal had openings for reporters and I seized that chance to fulfil my dream. I have had to face many difficulties along the way but I am really happy to live the life of a reporter.”

Former Myanmar Times reporter Nyunt Win interviews renowned Myanmar author Saw Hmone Hnyin.

Ko Tin Aung Kyaw is a freelance journalist for local news agency Associated News, which supplies stories for local journals, including The Living Color Magazine and The Voice Journal. He has been working as a reporter for six years and says the top prerequisite to be a journalist is a passion for news.

“If you are not interested in news, you won’t last as a reporter for a long time. Every type of work has its problems and difficulties – we reporters have to be patient in getting and collecting news, so, as I said, you have to be passionate to survive as a journalist,” Ko Tin Aung Kyaw says.

“You should also be skilled in the language that your journal publishes in. For a local journal, reporters have to be fluent in Myanmar language. For self study and communication, you should also have English language knowledge,” he says, adding that reporters also need to be ethical. “We must avoid being persuaded by businessmen to become their tools and advertise their businesses.”

Ma May Nge also says education is an important requirement and stresses the power that journalists wield.

“If you are not educated, how can you properly present the news to your readers? How can you give the right message to readers? In this age, the influence of the media is very strong, not only for readers but also for those features in the articles, so we have to know how to use this influence properly. If you give a wrong message, it is very risky for both you and the reader,” Ma May Nge said.

Dr Zaw Than, a writer and correspondent for the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun, agrees that education is an important prerequisite but says many skills are learnt on the job.

“I think to be a good reporter you must be a university graduate with good public relation skills. But you must always be keen and alert in everything. These kinds of abilities can be learnt, and there is a saying: ‘A journalist is not born but made.’”

While he admits that journalism in Myanmar is often a young person’s game, life experience is also an important asset and something Dr Zaw Than has plenty of.

“When I became a doctor in 1976, I worked as a volunteer in foreign countries for the UN and I got a lot of experiences in election activities, as it was election time in Cambodia. These experiences I compiled for my book Phnom Penh Diary. I have written short and long novels, medical features and travelogues while I was working as a doctor. Then, in 1998, I applied for the position of correspondent for the Sankei Shimbun,” he explains, but adds that he has always had a passion for news. “My hobbies are writing, reading and learning English and, since I was a university student, I like to read newspapers.”

“The free working nature attracts young people [to journalism]. Besides that, they can get much general knowledge through their working experiences and can meet many people and make friends that they would otherwise never meet,” he says.

For Ko Tin Aung Kyaw, a career in journalism has meant being able to combine passion with work.

“I have discovered, unexpectedly, a role where my interests and my livelihood have come together. Before working here as a reporter, I had worked a lot of other jobs but I was not happy. Since my childhood, I have been very interested in reading and writing,” he says, “so I made the decision to work in the media industry. While I will never be rich, I am happy to work as a journalist, that is why I chose this career,” he said.