Editors' Guild of India flays Manipur media for 'one-sided' reports; slams internet ban

The Editors' Guild of India (EGI), which received representations about the purported partisan role of the Meitei-dominant media in the troubled Manipur state, sent a 3-member fact-finding team of journalists who found that internet ban imposed by the State government during the violence denied journalists free access to information on the actual happenings there.

Guwahati (Assam) :Amid criticism of the media coverage of the Manipur ethnic violence, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) has released a report on the ground situation based on the observations of a fact-finding committee that studied the issue. The EGI report found fault with some sections of journalists in the embattled State for putting out 'one-sided reports' further fuelling the conflict and causing harm to the minority Kuki community.

The ongoing ethnic violence in the northeastern state has been taking place with the majority Meiteis purportedly targetting the minority Kukis. In this respect, the EGI fact-finding team conducted studies in the troubled Manipur state for four days from August 7 to 10. The EGI team consisted of journalists Bharat Bhushan, Seema Guha and Sanjay Kapoor.

After examining the reportage by the Manipur media during ethnic violence, the EGI team found that the Meitei-controlled media was dominant in the State and that the internet ban during the period by the state government hampered flow of information to the journalists on the actual happenings there. The journalists also faced difficulties in gathering accurate information to file their reports on the violence. The fact-finding team blamed the State government for using the internet ban to prevent the journalists from getting free access to information.

The EGI team reported that the dominant Meitei media exerted a lot of influence and acted collectively to put out their own narratives to favour their community at the cost of the minority community. The report said there was a need for the media to act responsibly.

The ethnic clashes in Manipur had shocked the entire country. Last month, the Manipur Assembly was not able to sit as 10 Kuki MLAs, cutting across party affiliations, refused to attend the session citing continued violence in the northeastern state.