Nagaland Media: Throes of rebirth

Al Ngullie
Morung Express News

The media in Nagaland is in a state of changeover – not so much for the inevitable changes which functional purposes of history and change compel, but a shift in the paradigm of the very purpose itself. The pivotal cause for this paradigm shift, amongst others, in the Nagaland media, is widely attributed to the gradual but inevitable rise of ‘realization’ in the minds of the harmonizing factors, which impact the role of the media. These harmonizing factors include the Naga masses and on the other hand, the growing indispensability and realization of the supreme importance that public platforms can actually create opinions of remedy and positive change. Or worst, otherwise. 

November 16 is National Press Day. The day is symbolic of a free and responsible Press movement in India, as much as it is an affirmation that the media is the moral watchdog to ensuring standards of holistic humanity. This was the mutual and widely expressed opinion, of the journalists and media persons in the state The Morung Express interacted with, in the backdrop of National Press Day. 

In the conversations shared with senior media persons, three mutual and unanimous points kept surfacing all too often: the gradual “awakening process” of the masses to the role of the media as watchdog of the society; the insufferable tendency of certain sections and organizations in Nagaland, to dictate and intimidate what the media ought to do or not, and thirdly, the need for the new generation media to engage in generating debate and pro-action, apart from the established utility of expending information. The three points – realization about the indispensability of the media, exploitation, or “bullying” by certain sections and debate-creating are observed to be the very reflections of the stage the Nagaland media is currently in.  

“There are ways we can improve on” said Monalisa Changkija, Editor of one of the oldest English dailies in the state, Nagaland Page. “We have to come out on our own and not follow the trend set by the national, regional or even international media” Changkija explained. Queried on the “ways” to be improved, Changkija pointed to the quality of information-gathering. Interestingly, she held view that news reporting – which, these days, are generally “poor” – was much ‘better in the eighties’. Another point to the lacunae is the media community not engaging extensively in analyzing situations or generating opinions for wider participation of citizens’ minds on issues. Sensations – criminal issues or political vice – may not necessarily be the only ones to merit “investigative journalism”, she pointed out. It could be any issue, to be in-depth and this is a lack. “This is one of our weaknesses” Changkija said. 

Conversely, Editor of Eastern Mirror Diethono Nakhro weighted a good weight of changes that have taken place over the last several years. She said the way to broaching issues have translated into what she called ‘conscious reporting’. “Certainly, we have a long way to go. Definitely we are seeing a lot of changes, in the sense, of reporting the ideas we put across…there is more conscious-reporting now” Nakhro said. 

However, Nakhro, like all the journalists this daily interacted with, agreed that a large section of the Naga society has yet to grasp the idea of what the media, and what tacit role it plays, is all about. 

“Not that we do everything right, we do have our failings but we face problems” she said, referring to the insufferable pressure, diktat and worst, intimidation from certain sections of the society who have yet to “grasp” that the media’s role in a given society. “There are many young people who are joining the media and coming up with better ideas and better thoughts” she said but the pressure remains in dealing with those not versed are ill-informed about the tacit role of the media. “The only thing we can do is use our ‘pie’ constructively and know how to use it”. Nakhro expressed hope, that in a course of time, mindsets will change.

The Darker Page of the Story 
It is no secret that a considerable section of the masses and many an organization in Nagaland impose diktats over what the media ought to do, be doing or express. While most readerships – including even the Naga “political groups” – are gradually realizing that the social media is independent, self-regulating democratic institution and beyond all tertiary affiliations, certain sections are inclined to “bully” the media into expressing a given opinion. A senior journalist, refusing to be named, echoed the one plain sentence of lamentation all journalists in Nagaland agree on: “What mind do you expect from certain people who demand what page or which space their press statement should go?”

In fact, the common practice and expectation for most readerships in Nagaland sometimes borders on sheer ridiculousness. For instance, the current trend where some Naga “political groups” members even go to the extent of dictating terms what point of opinion, sentence, term or word (not to mention which page to be published or size of space given) should be published. Threats and intimidations against the media from one too many sections, even civil society organizations like the certain students’ bodies, are an everyday affair. This is the reality under which the media in Nagaland works. 

Senior reporter and photojournalist Pradeep Pareek said this trend of intimidating newspapers by certain sections in carrying opinion has ebbed to some extend. But considering the general culture the “media-illiterate” practice when dealing with the media, the institution is not independent, Pareek said. He also agreed on the general dictum concerning the Nagaland media: “The media in Nagaland is not independent. No, it is not independent” echoed Pareek, a veteran of more than 20 years in the profession. He however, said some changes can be seen that the masses and civil society, amongst others are slowing realizing that the media is not a “notice board”. He contextualized his opinion on the pre-ceasefire period and post-ceasefire: “The situation was different during the pre-ceasefire period and situation was difficult. But in the post-ceasefire period things are changing to some level. Yes, there are many who have no idea at all what the newspapers or journalists are all about. Our job is to write the truth and many people cannot digest the truth”.

Pareek further explained that the people should learn to be more “tolerant”. He was referring to the culture in Nagaland that most demand “the truth” but “when you write about it, about corruption and whatnot, they intimidate you and they cannot digest the truth”. Referring to the regular intimidation and “language” used by certain “media-illiterate” sections, Pareek pointed to the factor of fear that has resulted in the local “not writing about corruption, extortions, killings etc”. They cannot dictate terms, he said, and they must come to realize that this is this role of the media. 

“They cannot treat newspapers like notice boards. Immature readers cannot digest the truth” he said. The senior journalist expressed hope that the scenario will change in time with the entry of more newspapers, television networks and proliferation of education not to mention of the growing number of educated, cultured, intelligent and young professionals into journalism in the state.  

President of Dimapur Press Club Dilip Sharma, while acknowledging certain positive changes, also echoed similar sentiment that the Nagaland media is in need of mature readership. People are slowing realizing the importance of the media, he said, and it is serving the people without bias. “They are slowly realizing and being aware that the media and journalist shape the consciousness and the society” Sharma said. However, he lamented, the aspect of intimidation has to be done away with and that “investigative stores” have to be placed on impetus. Highlighting a number of reasons relative to the aspect of threat from certain sections, not only civil society and politicians, he said the electronic media is “far ahead of us”. And the aspect of intimidation and the inability of the local media managements to self-regulate, be assertive and independent, is adding to the diseases already ailing the Naga society. “This is preventing our growth” he explained.

Dilip also took snigger at what he called the “press release culture” practiced in Nagaland. “We have heavy office work and the press release culture. It is not practiced anywhere in India; no culture of press release; but we are obsessed with press releases so no investigative stories” he quipped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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