‘Nagas should be like hills that grow into mountains’

Our Correspondent
Kohima | November 16

The Kohima Press Club (KPC) today joined the rest of the country in observing National Press Day here at Hotel Eastgate under the theme “Who is not afraid of media?”

Stating that for most journalists, their sensing of the existential realities “beneath the country” is their motivation for turning to journalism, peace activist Niketu Iralu put across two suggestions.

Speaking on the occasion as the guest speaker, he said the geopolitical and racial location of our homeland is going to be found by us to be our curse our near- unique exciting opportunities, depending on the purpose of life each one will choose to live by. “We are stuck, fearfully and wonderfully, between India and China, two of the world’s finest civilizations emerging from centuries of hard-set prejudices of caste, race and religions,” he said.

Iralu said without democratic liberal values and doctrines for exercise of power their massive nations cannot succeed. “We are on the fringes of these super powers, and the dynamics for their own growth will shape us in ways we will find extremely difficult to correctly cope with. But our crisis will not impinge on them, except the most ethnically sensitive and humanists among them,” he said.

So fragile but fiercely self-conscious ethnic minorities like us will have to learn to work out how we will survive and grow properly instead of destroy ourselves by our panicky responses to the challenges that will come, he said.

We will have to learn what mindfulness means from the Zen thinkers of the Orient like Japan and China. This comes down to knowing ourselves, as Socrates taught, he said adding “I have come to see that this will mean we decide as a people to reduce our selfishness, ego and pride, fear and hate, and just keep on reducing it as the one imperative for our survival and growth.”

“I believe this educative process is something the journalists and writers are best equipped by temperament and calling to take on for our people. There must be a way of doing this, and we just have to find by daring experiments by individuals that will show that it is doable!” Iralu added.

We Nagas should be like hills that grow into mountains that support us and all life forms of the eco system, he said adding “We have become more like volcanoes instead- unpredictable, shaky, angry and dangerously grumbling. When volcanoes explodes they brings the worst out. After the explosion only destruction is left behind which will take generations to restore life again.”

‘Adapt to changing situation with arrival of new media’

Another guest speaker Dr Moalemba Jamir, Associate Editor, The Morung Express stressed on the need to adapt to the changing situation with the arrival of the new media.

The advent of new media – the proliferation of digital and social media has added new dimension to the challenge, he said. He said the proliferation of new media raises many issues about the way news is gathered, presented and disseminated to the general public or transparency.

The development of new media is inevitable and it is imperative the journalist as well as the media house adapt to new technology to be relevant. The proliferation of new media with an outlet to break out of the vicious circle via vertical integration. Such measure can be a way out of the vicious circle and gains the respect and credibility, he said. He said that low readership and financial sustainability of the media house in Nagaland hinder its vibrant progress.

He said that media in Nagaland is being confronted by various external and internal challenges, including professionalism aspects.

Dr Jamir said that with the minimal corporate and industrialization in the state, almost all the media houses depend government’s advertisement. However, a standing advertisement policy is seldom followed. He cited the pending bills, wherein Nagaland’s Chief Secretary recently directed the concerned departments to clear the same. “It is also important to ask whether the media is something to be afraid of?  The answer to the question lays the crux of the matter. Ideally, in a democratic society, it should not arise as it is expected that a free and responsible media is the part and parcel of the package, something that adds to the essence of democracy, not a fearful entity,” he said.

This also answers the question of why Nagaland journalist is often accused of lacking investigative reporting and analytical skills, he said.

Reminder to governments of their commitment to press freedom 

KPC president Alice Yhoshü said National Press Day acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. She said that the media faces problems from various factors, mainly from forces intolerant to expression of views that are considered divergent.

“The press is accountable for any error to the dictates of the law of the land but there cannot be any justification or reasoning if its functioning is sought to be subjugated through threats or criminal acts. How we measure up to challenges largely depends on the how individual journalists uphold truth and justice without bias,” Yhoshü said

Despite many shortcomings, journalists in Nagaland have kept the flag flying over the years and that itself is a credit to their continuous pursuit of excellence, she said adding “But there is still a lot to be done. We need to make room to create innovative concepts on how to be catalysts of growth and progress while keeping a sharp focus on accountability in the government system and the powers that be.” She urged upon fellow media fraternity to rise up and “recommit ourselves to uphold the ethics of journalism and rededicate ourselves to the profession.”

Meanwhile, KPC has conferred KPC Impact Journalism Award 2021 to Imkong Walling of The Morung Express. The members observed a minute silence as a mark of respect to the departed soul of Dimapur Press Club president K Filip Sumi and photojournalist Soreishim Mahong who passed away recently. The programme was chaired by KPC general secretary, Atono Tsükrü Kense.