A section of journalist during a press conference held in Kohima. (Photo Courtesy: twitter)
November 16 is National Press Day
Moa Jamir
Dimapur | November 15
What are the biggest challenges and prospects for the media in Nagaland today? While new frontiers are opening up, various internal and external challenges are impeding its vibrant development, putting sustainability and the very functioning of media in question.
These, among others, were some critical insights shared by a cross section of the media fraternity in Nagaland when The Morung Express reached out to them to get an overview of the current state of affairs in the backdrop of National Press Day on November 16.
External, internal professional challenges
“Journalism is a highly evolved discipline. Of course it's further fast evolution in the digital age is a work in progress.
Certain minimum standards of cognitive and moral abilities are imperative for a journalist,” noted Senior Journalist Tinakali Sumi of the Nagaland Post.
“The primary challenge of a journalist in Nagaland is of credibility,” she opined adding: “Random reporting of events and half baked analysis which often hugely reflects the personal prejudices of a journalist are the reasons for lack of their credibility.”
Many also highlighted internal and external professional concerns.
For Temjen Anichar, a Journalist with the Nagaland Page, it continues to be reportage. “We are told that journalism, at least in its vibrant form, follows a trajectory: reportage, opinion, and activism. Reportage to gather facts, opinion to explain them, and then activism to ensure course correction.”
Collectively, I think we are still polishing our reportage, he elaborated.
Another challenge, Raymond Ronamai, the Associate Editor of the Eastern Mirror highlighted, is unwillingness of “many people to expose corruption, crimes and other social evils. This hinders the efforts of the press to fight injustice.”
For Atono Tsukrüe Kense, a Kohima-based independent journalist, the first challenge is that “most people are yet to understand the role and importance of media in a progressive society.”
With booming of social media platforms, often with fake and unverified news, the role of journalists have become more challenging and daunting, she said.
However, she pointed out that the most challenging is getting information from various agencies and departments. “People are scared to speak to the media, for the fear of being reprimanded by seniors and political leaders and loss of job. This is a herculean task as a journalist.”
“Of course, we have a social set-up that, if twisted, is tailor-made for those wanting to block access to information,” Anichar said. “But that also doesn’t mean we, the journalists, are without shortcomings.”
Vicious circle: Financial sustainability & remuneration
For Ronamai, one of the biggest challenges is financial sustainability. “Several factors like low circulation and lack of big firms in the state affect revenue through advertisements, and this in turn forces newspapers to cut down on rural reporting and other expensive reporting,” he elaborated.
The Editor and Publisher of the local Ao language daily Tir Yimyim, T Temjen Jamir located the problem to poor economic situation.
“The primary purpose of the media is to reach out to people with information and education, however, owing to poor economic situation in Nagaland in particular, many are unable to subscribe to newspaper or avail E-paper,” he said.
The absence of common language and population further limits circulation, while the lack of corporate houses and industries curtails revenue via advertisements, he added.
As opposed to a supposedly high literacy rate, the culture of reading is missing here, noted another journalist.
Devoid of corporate advertisers or falling circulation, most establishments are dependent on government advertisement. However, most departments routinely default on payments.
Most recently on November 6, Nagaland Chief Secretary J Alam directed various departments to expedite the process to clear all pending bills at the earliest. Such directions are seldom followed, newspaper managements informed.
Low circulation, lack of corporate revenue coupled with a truant governmental department, thus, collectively affects the functioning of the media, including remuneration, and output, putting them in a vicious circle.
“Money. So long as publishers struggle to make ends meet, the news media in Nagaland will struggle to survive,” stated Imkong Walling, the Principal Correspondent of The Morung Express.
Tinakali called low remuneration a ‘day to day existential crisis’ of a journalist in Nagaland.
“Journalists in Nagaland are grossly ill paid. In the Maslow hierarchy of needs if a person is struggling for day to day existential needs, expecting any worthwhile quality of output from them is unfair, unreasonable and immoral,” she asserted.
Concurring with her, Walling added, “So long as journalists are underpaid, there will be less and less people committing to the job as a paying career. That’s the reality. Like it or not.”
Going forward
The entry of digital landscape has added new challenge but has opened up new frontiers.
“Today when digital media is casting a dark shadow over the traditional print media, it is imperative that the journalist as well as the media house adapt to new technology and be ahead of it or else face inevitable marginalisation and decline,” Tinakali argued.
Eastern Mirror’s Ronamai postulated that while the internet revolution has affected media houses around the world, regional newspapers will flourish and continue to disseminate authenticated information to the public.
The media houses should “adapt to the change and serve the public by providing authentic content online as well without compromising on journalism ethics,” he added.
On the professional front, Anichar pointed out that besides collection of stories, reportage also includes presentation of stories, and this is solely the journalists’ lookout, and thus, responsibility.
“State’s politicians and government officials are saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a blessing in disguise to the State’s health infrastructure. I think the same could be applied to journalism. If anything, it has forced us to reach out to all sections of people for information. That could only bode well for us,” he reasoned.
On prospects of the media, he added: “I can vouch for its relevance—in the sense that the media, in all its forms, will continue to be relevant. I think it depends on the people, ultimately. Hence, all the more important to connect with them.”
