EXPLAINER: Myanmar media defiant as junta cracks down

BANGKOK — Myanmar’s military-controlled government is seeking to suppressing media coverage of protests against their seizure of power as journalists and ordinary citizens strive to inform people inside and outside of the country about what is happening.

Authorities on Monday canceled licenses of five local media outlets that had been offering extensive coverage of the protests, attempting to fully roll back such freedoms a decade after the country began its faltering transition toward democracy.

The government has detained dozens of journalists since the Feb. 1 coup, including Thein Zaw of The Associated Press.

The crackdown comes as the military has escalated violence against mass protests. Reports…