Journalist detained in Myanmar not heard from
Fenster introduced to country while studying in Chicago
Years before Danny Fenster worked in Myanmar as a magazine editor, his most personal exposure to tumult in the Southeast Asian country happened in Chicago, where he was studying journalism and connected with a Burmese family through a local refugee organization.
“That was his first introduction to the culture, and it really had a profound effect on him,” said Bryan Fenster, Danny’s older brother who also volunteered at the organization now known as RefugeeOne. “He was drawn to the Rohingya genocide and what was happening in Myanmar.”
Now Fenster, who graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2009 with degrees in journalism and creative writing, is caught in the country’s crosshairs himself. The 37-year-old managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, a top independent news publication, was detained by the military regime May 24 at Yangon International Airport before boarding a flight in the hopes of returning to the U.S.
Fenster’s family hasn’t heard from him since. There have been no phone calls, no contact allowed with the U.S. Consulate and no information about why Fenster was stopped and likely taken to the Insein Prison, a complex notorious for housing political prisoners in deplorable conditions. The military has not announced any charges against Fenster.
“He’s done nothing wrong,” said Bryan Fenster, 39. “He was not inciting violence or protesting. He was at his desk editing stories. Proper visas, proper passports, proper papers, proper plane tickets. All of it.”
Fenster was on his way home for a surprise trip to see his parents in Michigan, Bryan Fenster said, his first since moving abroad more than three years ago. Danny Fenster’s last communication was a text with his wife in Myanmar, alerting her that he was being detained, Bryan Fenster said.
High-ranking U.S. officials from Michigan lawmakers to Secretary of State Antony Blinken are trying to intervene and help rescue Fenster, as well as another American journalist, Nathan Muang, who was arrested by Myanmar’s junta March 9. But Fenster’s family is still in the dark as efforts to reach
the military chief have been unsuccessful, Bryan Fenster said.
The military has jailed at least 40 journalists since usurping power in a Feb. 1 coup and overturning the most recent Democratic election, according to the
Committee to Protect Journalists. Families report that some of the detained journalists were beaten, burned and tortured.
As of mid-May, more than 800 people had been killed in clashes with Myanmar’s junta as pro-democracy demonstrations swept the troubled country also known as Burma, according to the activist group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Myanmar, which had emerged from decades of military rule in 2011, has also garnered international scorn for the army-sponsored genocide of the Rohingya people, a Muslim minority in the Buddhist-majority nation.
As the days of Fenster’s absence turn into weeks, his family is clinging to hope. They have appeared on national television pleading for Danny’s safe release, launched a petition and website to draw more attention to his plight and communicate with their elected representatives daily.
News of Fenster’s detainment also sent shock waves across media circles in Chicago, particularly those with connections to Columbia
College.
“A journalist in captivity is bad no matter what, but when it’s someone who you spent time with, it becomes all that more harrowing,” said Dan Sinker, one of Fenster’s former professors at Columbia College who now works at DePaul University.
Sinker said Fenster stood out in a 2009 course he taught about online journalism. He described Fenster as a model student who was eager to learn and do the hard work.
“It was pretty clear that he wanted to be a journalist,” Sinker said. “He was very interested in not just following the traditional journalism path, and I think his career has shown that.”
After graduation, Fenster worked for AmeriCorps, engaging the homeless community in San Jose, California. He then worked as a newspaper reporter at the Daily Iberian in southern Louisiana before moving abroad, first to Thailand and then Myanmar, to continue his journalism.
Fenster’s brother said Danny gravitated toward telling stories of “the struggle” and was known to have a travel bug. He started working for Frontier Myanmar last August, according to an online statement from the publication.
“He’s very unconventional,” Bryan Fenster said. “He goes off the beaten path.”
Noah Isackson, an adjunct professor at Columbia College’s journalism program, said he remembered Fenster as a serious student committed to the field. His contributions to class discussions were always wise, but he never talked just to show off, Isackson said.
“He handled himself so professionally,” Isackson said. “He was clearly very interested in journalism and the craft of journalism and really improving his work.”
Columbia classmate Evan Minsker, now an editor at the music publication Pitchfork, said he was horrified when he saw social media exploding with headlines about Fenster being held in Myanmar. The two worked together on a project in Sinker’s class but lost touch after Fenster moved to California in 2010.
“I mostly just remember myself being probably a bit frantic about the project and Danny being a lot more centered and grounded about it, and funny and relaxed and easy to hang out with and great to work with,” Minsker said.
As Fenster’s family awaits more word on the situation, brother Bryan said he is trying to “refocus the heartache into action.” He said the family is thankful for the efforts by the U.S. State Department to make contact with Danny.
“Freedom of the press is an integral part of an open and thriving society,” Bryan Fenster said. “Danny always wanted to make a difference with his work, and unfortunately this is happening, but he’s making a difference and that’s giving us a lot of strength to carry on.”
Frontier Media released a statement May 31 calling for Fenster’s immediate and unconditional release.
“He is thoughtful and compassionate and cares deeply about Myanmar, its people and his work,” the outlet said. “We are shocked and frustrated that Danny has been detained for no apparent reason.”