Fifty years have gone by, since a few practitioners in journalism gathered and formed the All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) with the aim and objective of maintaining the general upkeep of the journalists’ fraternity in the state. Journalism had already made its footprint in the early 20th century by a few early pioneers and reformers in a small way. It took hold in the second half of the 20th century.
AMWJU began as a welfare organisation of the journalists, by the journalists and for the journalists. Most editors were also owners and publishers of the said newspapers, while the journalists employed by them were very few and in fact, the term ‘working journalists’ really sounded strange. However, with the increase in number of real working journalists the organisation is slowly changing its shape and colour while those with ‘proprietary interest’ are being slowly edged out. But still, remnants of ‘proprietary interests’ remain with those in the top management level embedded among the working journalists. That is about the change in structure of the organisation as constitutional amendments go on.
Given the conflict situation in the state, the journalists fraternity including working journalists and editors besides management had to go together to fight off the pressures from both state and non-state actors to muzzle the press or infringe on the freedom of press. In 2008 alone, the state witnessed killing of more than 285 ‘suspects’ by state and security forces, many of which still remained unexplained till date. On 10 October 2008, the state Head of Police threatened the editors of three local dailies viz., Sangai Express, Poknapham and Naharolgi Thoudang for publishing an expose of the nexus between the police and the urea smugglers active in the state.
The news exposed the delivery of 13 truckloads of Urea that were reportedly smuggled from India to Burma. Earlier in June that year, the state chief secretary along with the Head of Police pushed for censoring the publication of the handouts of the banned organizations with a threat that refusal might compel the state to approach the Registrar of Newspapers of India for cancellation of registration. The government move came when the press community was grappling with a threat from a splinter group of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party for refusing to publish one of their press-notes.
When the press had found itself in a similar predicament the previous year the government proposed a memorandum restricting ‘liberal’ publication of underground press-notes, which they said might help in thwarting pressure from the underground. AMWJU had refused then. In June 2008, the AMWJU delegation challenged the government allegation that the local press was not adhering to the Press Council of India guidelines and called its bluff. The government had to back down with a threat that they will be closely monitoring the newspapers.
While the state and the forces under its command exerted undue pressure upon the press, the non-state actors and their factions continue to pressure the local press to carry their handout and propaganda material in toto. The pressure from non-state comes mostly from small factions in their bid to gain legitimacy through the media (seen by some of them as a notice board) for posting their threats and summons to their victims, and mud-slinging between these factions.
The pressure from non-state actors has come down in the year 2009. Still, there is pressure off and on from non-state actors. It is time people realised the fact that one does not always get to say the truths as we are afraid only of the possible consequences it might bring. While we are all concerned with the negative fallout of saying the truth, we are blind to other possibilities it might also achieve in the not too distant future. And as such we are in a perpetual denial mode, thereby causing more harm or the minor ailment turning cancerous in the long run. Sometimes, it is best that all the grievances and hurt feelings are laid bare on the table and try to thrash it out with an open mind. If we are really intent on going forward towards peace and stability, gone are the days of running from the bitter truth while the time has come to face the truth and realities head on.
