Burmese Citizen Journalists Defy Military Junta to Tell Story of Protests

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Despite the danger of defying a military junta that is determined to quash the current wave of protests, and Internet penetration of only 1%, Burmese citizen journalists, activists, and former professional journalists have shared news and images with the rest of the world. They have even managed to skirt an Internet blockade by linking their computers directly to a computer outside of the government's censorship reach. One blog included a description in English that read, "Right now they're using fire engines and hitting people and dragging them onto E2000 trucks and most of them are girls and people are shouting." Ellana Lee, the managing editor of CNN Asia Pacific said, "When traditional methods and professional journalists can't provide footage, and personal safety allows, citizens rise to the challenge time and again, often with remarkable material. Even in countries like Myanmar, the spread of the Internet and mobile phones has meant that footage will always continue to get through and the story will be told, one way or another."