On the third day of the “Burma Telling Its Own Story” Reporting Fellowship in Myanmar, the fellows had the opportunity to explore their craft further out in the field. Guided by their instructors, the teams set out into the city to gather sound, take photos, film scenes of daily life, and conduct interviews with Yangon residents.
Teams dispersed to various places, such as the riverfront ferries, where fellows interviewed people on their daily commute across the Irrawaddy River, local businesses, and even construction sites. A crew of videographers hopped aboard the famous Circle Train that loops around Yangon’s perimeter, transversing through a range of diverse neighborhoods. Others visited astrologers to gauge the country’s business forecast, while other groups interviewed doctors for a read on health issues.
By afternoon, it was back to the newsroom to download and debrief. Fellows huddled around laptops assessing their finds. The photography team took to the projector to analyze shots in a group critique, while writers pored over notes, and radio and video teams picked apart sound and filtered through video files.
After a day spent starting to take in the country’s most current issues, that evening, one of the most prominent experts on Burma came to speak to the fellows about the country’s transition, but also its past. Bertil Lintner, renowned journalist and author privy to all things Myanmar, reminisced about his early days here, wherein he fell in love with the country and its people. He shared stories of his travels and of his life as a journalist, imparting critical lessons along the way. It was a night full of anecdotes, history, and politics that all coalesced to provide a nuanced and detailed portrait of this complex country and of its most intriguing issues for the young reporters to cover during this fellowship.