DECEMBER 30 • 2021 | 13

Huntington Woods journalist Danny 
Fenster was — without a doubt — this 
year’s Newsmaker of the Year. From 
the time he was detained on May 
24 at Yangon International Airport 
in Myanmar until his return home on 
Nov. 16, Detroit’s Jewish community 
was galvanized to do all they could 
to support his family and see that he 
came home safely.
Fenster, 37, managing editor of 
Frontier Myanmar, was one of many 
journalists who have been detained or 
imprisoned during the course of their 
work. According to an annual report 
compiled by the Committee to Protect 
Journalists, the number of journal-
ists around the world imprisoned by 
governments seeking to stifle critical 
reporting reached its highest level 
ever in 2021.
For weeks after his arrest, no one 
heard from Fenster or was able to see 
him. His family launched a media cam-

paign, going on national networks, 
determined to keep Danny in the 
forefront of everyone’s thoughts. A 
website and Facebook group, “Bring 
Danny Home,” soon had thousands of 
members. Hundreds of people bought 
#BringDannyHome T-shirts and wrote 
letters to urge government officials to 
secure Danny’s release. 
 Authorities refused to disclose the 
reason behind his arrest. 
It was 38 days before his family 
was finally able to speak to him on 
the phone as they awaited a hearing 
in front of the judge while he awaited 
charges. 
During his fourth month in pretrial 
detainment, at his ninth hearing, he 
was hit with charges by Myanmar’s 
junta government under the Unlawful 
Associations Act, in addition to previ-
ous incitement charges. On day 164 
of his detainment, Fenster was denied 
bail. On Nov. 12, he was sentenced 

to 11 years in prison as well as a 
$100,000 fine. Detroit’s Jewish com-
munity was horrified by the news.
A few days later, on Nov. 15, came 
the miraculous news from former New 
Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who 
had been visiting the country on a 
humanitarian mission regarding the 
COVID-19 pandemic. Danny was on his 
way home. The next day, he returned 
to his family in Huntington Woods. 
“Welcome Home, Danny” signs could 
be seen everywhere around town. 
One of the first things Danny said 
upon his return home was that he will 
work on keeping the focus on the 
thousands of Burmese who remain 
imprisoned on false charges. 
 According to the United Nations, at 
least 126 journalists, media officials 
or publishers have been detained by 
the military since the takeover and 47 
remain in custody, though not all of 
them have been charged. 

JERRY ZOLYNSKY).

Newsmaker of the Year: Danny Fenster

Danny Fenster, flanked by childhood friend Matthew Jaffe and brother Bryan

