What is Wrong with the DVB English Editor? A Clear Example of Biased and Distorted Reporting on the Arakan Army

News Analysis

March 20, 2026

DVB Logo and Protest Against Myanmar Junta (photocrd)

On February 27, 2026, DVB English published a news item titled “Burma Campaign UK calls for sanctions against AA.” The headline alone carries a sharp sting. It frames the Arakan Army (AA) as a target for punishment, echoing calls from Burma Campaign UK without balance or context. This is not neutral reporting. It is loaded journalism that harms a resistance force fighting daily against the Myanmar junta.

The real problem goes deeper than the headline. The article uses a photo of Myanmar people protesting in London on February 23, 2026, outside the Myanmar Embassy. Those demonstrators stood against the military’s violence—mass killings, airstrikes, village burnings, and daily terror by the junta.

Their signs and chants targeted the regime in Naypyidaw, not the AA. Yet DVB placed this image right next to the story about sanctions on the AA. The message becomes twisted: it looks as if the protesters oppose the AA for human rights abuses in Arakan. This is not a careless mistake. It is a deliberate visual lie that misleads readers and damages the AA’s image.

DVB tried to soften the damage by linking another article on the same page: Justice for Myanmar’s renewed push for a jet fuel ban on the junta. That move shows they know the junta remains the main killer. But the pairing comes too late. The first impression sticks—the AA gets smeared while the junta’s crimes fade into the background. Readers walk away thinking the resistance is the problem, not the regime that bombs civilians every day.

This is not the first time DVB English has handled AA stories this way. Repeated patterns appear: selective facts, unverified claims, and framing that favors one narrative over facts on the ground. Some voices point to the current English editor, claiming he is Muslim and brings a built-in bias against the AA.

They say editorial choices reflect extreme views from certain Muslim writers on Arakan issues, ignoring Arakanese suffering and the AA’s efforts to protect communities. Whether the editor’s background drives the bias or not, the output shows clear imbalance. Stories lean heavily toward accusations against the AA while downplaying junta-backed attacks by groups like ARSA in northern Rakhine.

Media like DVB should build trust, not division. In a country torn by war, fair reporting unites people against the real enemy—the military dictatorship. When outlets distort reality, they help the junta. The regime wants resistance groups painted as abusers so people lose hope and support. Divisive coverage weakens the fight for democracy and federalism that millions want.

Donors who fund DVB, especially from Norway and other Western governments, must pay attention. They support media to promote truth, human rights, and peace—not to spread one-sided stories that fuel ethnic tension. Scrutiny is needed. Ask hard questions: Why the misleading photo? Why no equal space for AA responses or ground evidence? Why repeat patterns that hurt the resistance while the junta kills unchecked?

The AA fights for Arakan’s self-determination and a better future for all in Myanmar. It faces junta artillery, proxy militias, and now slanted reports from outlets that should know better. Honest journalism calls out abuses by every side—junta, AA, ARSA, anyone. Selective outrage is not journalism; it is politics in disguise.

People deserve media that tells the full story, not half-truths that divide. DVB English’s handling of this Burma Campaign UK piece is a clear failure. It misleads, distorts, and serves no one except those who benefit from a fractured resistance. Truth matters more than headlines. Until outlets like DVB fix their bias, trust will keep eroding—at a time when Myanmar needs unity the most.