"Burma?s exiled media took center stage during the September uprising. Now they must not rest on their laurels... If the Burmese people are ready for change, then we must ask whether the exiled Burmese media is ready for change. The answer, I believe, should be a resounding ?Yes!? Burma enjoyed perhaps the liveliest free press in Southeast Asia in the 1950s and 60s. Burma?s first constitution in 1947 guaranteed citizens the right to express their opinions and convictions. Unfortunately, the freedoms of expression and media were short-lived in Burma. The first assault on journalism came soon after the military coup in 1962. Press freedom gradually disintegrated thereafter, truncated by Gen Ne Win?s socialist regime. Newspapers were nationalized and many foreign news agencies were asked to pack their bags. Journalists and editors found themselves in prison. During the 1980s, all forms of public expression and publications had to pass through Burma?s notorious censorhip board, now known as the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, even though Burma?s second constitution, drawn up in 1974, guaranteed freedom of expression..."