Myanmar was widely off the internet grid until the state lowered firewalls in 2012. As Myanmar experiences the growing pains of the internet, journalist Shaina Shealy unpacks tensions from the intersection of Facebook, free speech, and public safety by documenting women and girls behind phone and computer screens. Her reporting addresses questions about online protections, Facebook’s impact on women’s traditional roles, and about the people behind posts targeting women. Shealy also shows how the state is approaching a balance between its relatively young obligation to free speech and protection of vulnerable communities.
January 24, 2019 | Lenny Says
Lenny Says: It Starts and Ends With You
Grantee Shaina Shealy joins the Lenny Says podcast to share the story of a woman who uses Facebook to break cultural taboos around menstruation.
January 24, 2019 | PRI's The World
A Spoken Word Poet in Myanmar Speaks Out Against Hate and Injustice
Than Toe Aung faced years of discrimination and harassment as a Muslim in Myanmar. When he discovered the power of slam poetry, he decided to use it as a tool to speak out, unite and fight for justice.
August 14, 2018 | PRI's The World
This Woman Bodybuilder in Myanmar Is Using Facebook to Advocate for Harsher Penalties for Rape
Women in Myanmar are pushing lawmakers to punish rapists with the death penalty.
July 17, 2018 | Milk Street
Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Radio: Thingyan Snacks
Shaina Shealy talks to host Christopher Kimball of Milk Street Radio about Myanmar's traditional Thingyan snacks.
December 27, 2018 | Meet the Journalist
Meet the Journalist: Shaina Shealy
Journalist Shaina Shealy traveled to Myanmar last spring to report on how women and girls are using Facebook.