A worker walks during sunset after working in the new capital Nay Pyi Taw March 26, 2007.  REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang

The editorial comment on the GBU block concerning the right use of the word ‘The Gulf’ made me wonder about a similar problem concerning the name of the country Myanmar or Burma. I have noticed that BBC uses Burma nowadays, whereas on the Reuters pictures pages there was today a selection of pictures from Myanmar.

Do you have a specific policy concerning the name or was the photographer for example allowed to choose for himself? And is one name considered to be more neutral than the other in your editorial view?

Anukaisa J.

The naming choice was not up to the photographer.  Our style on this country is Myanmar, which we switched to from Burma years ago. 

News organizations, including Reuters, frequently review their naming conventions, taking into account what countries/cities call themselves, what the public at large tends to call them, what implications there may be in a name change for our neutrality, what names are most commonly used by our customers, etc: GBU Editor