A Plea to TMS Readers for Peace Journalism-Peace by Peaceful Means
TRANSCEND News, 6 Oct 2025
Dr. Maung Zarni – TRANSCEND Media Service
TRANSCEND Media Service is having a fund drive to keep its valuable service – tailored to those of us who want in-depth and critical analyses – not sensationalist corporate media reportage with its shallow “Trumpish-All-sides” “balance”.
In most cases of realities that involve blood, invasion, genocides, war crimes, exploitation, systematic acts of state propaganda, “all sides” and “balance” in journalism, are not simply acts of moral cowardice, but the total absence of intellectual substance. Peace, nonviolence, social justice, are TMS ideologies rooted on basic human rights and needs, non negotiable principles.
Noam Chomsky, the author of Manufacturing Consent, would agree if I make an “outlandish statement” such as there are no ‘Gold Standards’ in journalism. The idea of Gold Standard is itself propaganda. Ask James Bond’s real world employer – Military Intelligence Unit 5 or “MI5”, which has been vetting the BBC’s hiring since the “Master Class” Propaganda Industry’s inception when the broadcast technology was the cutting edge.
So, I’d rather throw TRANSCEND a lifeline than watch BBC and pay the license fee. Who in their right mind would pay to be brainwashed by yet another military-industrial complex?
Think about it and Please Act making your financial contribution TODAY! Thank you.
https://www.transcend.org/tms/donate/
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A Buddhist humanist from Burma, Maung Zarni is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, former Visiting Lecturer with Harvard Medical School, specializing in racism and violence in Burma and Sri Lanka, and Non-resident Scholar in Genocide Studies with Documentation Center – Cambodia. His analyses have appeared in leading newspapers including the New York Times, The Guardian and the Times. Among his academic publications on Rohingya genocide are The Slow-Burning Genocide of Myanmar’s Rohingyas (Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal), An Evolution of Rohingya Persecution in Myanmar: From Strategic Embrace to Genocide, (Middle East Institute, American University), and Myanmar’s State-directed Persecution of Rohingyas and Other Muslims (Brown World Affairs Journal, forthcoming). He holds a PhD (U Wisconsin at Madison) and a MA (U California), and has held various teaching, research and visiting fellowships at the universities in Asia, Europe and USA including Oxford, LSE, UCL Institute of Education) , National-Louis, Malaya, and Brunei. He is the recipient of the “Cultivation of Harmony” award from the Parliament of the World’s Religions (2015).
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 6 Oct 2025.
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One Response to “A Plea to TMS Readers for Peace Journalism-Peace by Peaceful Means”
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Subject: Response to TMS Fundraising Appeal – A Retired Academic’s Perspective
Dear Professor Maung Zarni and the TRANSCEND Media Service Team,
Thank you for your heartfelt appeal for donations and for the unwavering commitment to peace journalism with principled analysis that TMS continues to uphold. As a long-time reader, contributor and supporter of your mission, I deeply resonate with your critique of mainstream media and your call for intellectual and moral integrity in reporting.
I write to you as a retired academic, born and based in South Africa, as a third generation person of Indian origins from Surat, India, dedicating my life to service the disadvantaged communities, in greater South Africa and abroad, including Khartoum, Sudan and old Rangoon, living on a modest pension, currently engaged in Pro Deo medical work and voluntary service on several committees, all of which are non-remunerative. I have elected to remain in the public sector and not pursuing a life of material pursuit in private practice. While I would very much like to contribute financially to TMS, the current exchange rate between the South African Rand and the Euro makes even small donations disproportionately burdensome and embarrassing for me.
Nonetheless, I remain committed to supporting TMS in spirit and advocacy. May I humbly suggest a few alternative finance-generating ideas that might help sustain your valuable work:
1. Tiered Global Subscription Model
Consider offering a sliding scale or region-sensitive subscription/donation model, where readers from lower-income countries can contribute in their local currency at a more accessible rate.
2. Peace Journalism Webinars or Masterclasses
Host online sessions with contributors like yourself, Professor Antonio Silva Carlos Rosa, incorporating the monumental work of Emeritus, Late Professor Johan Galtung, or other thought leaders. These could be offered for a nominal fee or donation, allowing supporters to learn and contribute simultaneously.
3. TMS Merchandise or Digital Publications
Curate select essays, poems, and peace reflections into downloadable e-books or print-on-demand collections. These could be sold to raise funds while spreading your message.
4. Affiliate Partnerships with Ethical Organisations
Collaborate with NGOs, universities, or ethical brands that align with your values, offering mutual promotion and potential sponsorship.
5. Crowdsourced Translation and Localisation
Engage multilingual volunteers to translate key articles, expanding your reach and potentially attracting support from new regions.
I hope these suggestions are received in the spirit of solidarity and constructive engagement. I remain grateful for the intellectual nourishment TMS provides and will continue to share your work within my networks.
With warm regards and deep respect,
Hoosen Vawda
Durban, South Africa
Global; +27 82 291 4546
e-mail: vawda@ukzn.ac.za
Retired Medical Academic | Peace Advocate | Community Medical Volunteer
Dated: Tuesday, 07th October 2025