The din, nay the disenchantment particularly of Meitei groups, surrounding the fact-finding report of Editors’ Guild of India (EGI) on Manipur violence continues to simmer. In its report, the EGI had indicted the partisan role of the State government and local media in the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur.
FIR was lodged against the fact-finding team members by the Manipur Government; and journalists’ fraternity of Manipur such as the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and Editors’ Guild of Manipur (EGM), a replication of EGI in the State level, have strongly negated the report and demanded nullification of the same. A PIL was filed against the EGI members by the International Meetei Forum (IMF) at the Manipur High Court seeking to ‘quash’ the fact-finding report of the EGI.
The EGI report has irked the Meiteis (Manipur Government, ‘Meitei Media’, Meitei CSOs and intellectuals) to the hilt. In fact, the report was totally opposite to what the Meiteis want people to believe and, importantly, offers diametrical points of view regarding the present ethnic violence. The report has debunked the Meitei media’s constant endeavours to buttress arguments and narratives that the Meitei CSO leaders, the N Biren regime and its agents promote. Truth is hard to swallow. Harder is acquiring truth and maintaining objectivity particularly in times when you are at war with another community.
It is to be put on record that this is not the first time that valley-based media are caught in the cauldron of biased reporting. Several Meitei newspapers already faced reprehension, censure – even to the extent of getting banned particularly in the hill districts for their ex-parte reportage. The guiding principles of newspapers/news outlets from Imphal were visible with formidable evidence on any given issues.
The saying that ‘TRUTH is the first casualty in war’ couldn’t be truer than this time in Manipur. The context and settings that prompted the Army authority to invite EGI to scrutinize the partiality in reporting by ‘local’ media should rather be understood in the right perspective. Instead of insisting the chief minister to lodge an FIR and instigating the CSOs to file PIL against the EGI team, the journalists’ fraternity of Manipur and Meitei intelligentsia should have done some soul searching in the whole process of bringing out the news daily. The ‘local media’ were facing serious allegations for their ‘indulgence in outright misrepresentation of facts, violation of journalistic ethics and norms and in the process fuelling the violence.’
Instead of giving room for self-retrospection, they jumped the gun and chose to react belligerently, which is unbecoming of a body that is exclusively for the educated elites. The letter written to the EGI by 3 Corps Headquarters with few instances was self-explanatory, in that the whole frame of the modus operandi applied by the Meitei media was unclothed. After all, who said the Meitei media are impartial? It is only them. This will have serious ramification in the restoration of normalcy in the State. That, no other community, except theirs, would have trust on them when they happen to preach peace. In all likelihood, given the pose they exhibit now, these media would not spare any efforts to bring back normalcy, if not trust. Distrust is certain to lead to disillusionment, cynicism and disengagement.
The aggressive reactions to the EGI report suggest many things. The pro-Meitei tendency stand adopted by the Imphal-based media (Meitei media) is undeniable. The Meitei media could not keep in check their emotions and openly profess partiality. No doubt, there is the saying, ‘blood is thicker than water.’ However, accommodating the viewpoints and versions of other party would have affirmed their credibility. In their intolerance to accommodate the facts and views from the other side it has helped fuel a lack of trust. Further, the Meitei media lost complete credibility and proved to the world that they are incapable to be the facilitator of the much needed peace and normalcy.
The role of unkind Meitei media in building up antagonism between the Kukis and Meiteis leading to the present carnage could not be missed. Instead of questioning, they harangue and echo the voice and agenda of the chief minister, his henchmen and bootlickers who are filled and driven madly by their extreme hatred for the Kukis. Since the past few years, unmindful of the consequences, the Meitei media lost courage to challenge ‘official’ narratives particularly issues concerning the Kukis. They help in fuelling antagonism and demonizing the Kuki community. They promote N Biren Singh and other radical groups/individuals who openly inhibit a fantastical realm that Kukis are illegal immigrants, drugs dealers, terrorists etc. They reinforce the views of these radical and divisive elements and indoctrinate gullible public. At the same time, they outrightly reject other materials. Their overindulgence in misrepresentation, stereotypification, and more often than not fabrication has seriously called for self-contemplation.
For instances, when Meitei CSOs or N Biren Singh or any radical individuals resorted to the use of loose terms such as ‘illegal immigrants,’ ‘narco-terrorists,’ ‘poppy planters/drugs dealers’ and whatnots to the Kukis, the Meitei press liberally, arbitrarily and conveniently use it in toto to come out with screaming headlines. However, the statements of the other party are censored strictly in the gatekeeping process. Who wouldn’t say it is one-sided? During the course of the violence too, these media create a kind of excitement with outrageous lies only to reinforce prejudices.
The reaction of the Meiteis’ scribes and intellectuals, the Manipur government and radical CSOs to the EGI fact-finding report is suggestive of their complicity in the whole process of the ongoing ethnic conflagration aimed at subjecting the Kukis to further subjugation, if not their annihilation. The Imphal-based media should realize that their ‘journalism’ lacks conviction, which is already setting a very unhealthy precedents. In order to reclaim the lost credibility, it should reflect its way of functioning and do some self-dressing down exercise so that they salvage truth from becoming the first casualty of politics and journalism.
The FIR against EGI was over allegations that the report submitted by the team was ‘false, fabricated and sponsored’ which ‘aggravates the problem.’ It would be in the fitness of things to place to the readers/observers to judge who –whether the EGI or local media – fits these allegations. The EGI report apart, the backdrop which obligates the EGI team to examine the unconventional reportage of local media deserves serious attention. It would not be an overstatement to put that it is an ethical crisis.
In the post-truth age, the media, particularly the Imphal-based ones, have a larger role to play as ‘true mediator,’ an architect and facilitator of peace rather than serving as channels for reinforcement of prejudices and fuelling the violence.
