Abstract

• Ethnic media play a vital role for their communities. The content of ethnic media may be focused on the life of a particular ethnic community, the news from an ethnic region, or both. In addition, they could be bridge between urban and rural, plain and hilly residing all national races. In Myanmar, the remote and mountainous Chin State consists of nine townships in four districts of Hakha, Falam, Mindat and Matupi, Chin people are made up of six groups (Asho, Sho, Masho, Mizo, Laimi, Zomi) and speak different dialects. The main dialects are Zomi, Laimi, Mara, Matu, Zotung and K’Cho. There are around a dozen of newspaper and journals are publishing in the townships of Kalay, Hakha, Falam, Tedim, Mindat and Matupi using their local dialects. The ethnic media do what the mainstream media can’t: they inform the community of their own issues and local happenings and help organize the community by pointing its readers to service sources and connecting them to the larger society. Ethnic media compete within its own ethnic group and mainstream for funding and market penetration. Now, the print industry is struggling, some of those print media have struggling funding. Print media expand their media market and transform into broadcasting and online media. The purpose of the research is that what are main challenges of Chin ethnic media and to find the ways for sustainable development of ethnic media in Chin state. The research question is that what are the struggles of chin ethnic media to sustain themselves? The target areas are the townships of Kalay, Falam, Tedim, Hakha, Mindat and Kanpetlet. Target population includes youths and adult residing in these township of Chin States. The data collection methods will include a questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and in-depth interview and this research discuss three case studies to highlight the challenges of ethnic media in Chin State, Myanmar.