Manipur media houses to cease work in protest against government's failure to clear pending bills

There will be no news bulletin and discussion programme for electronic media on December 16 and no publication for print media on December 17

ByIFP Bureau

Updated 17 Dec 2021, 5:36 pm

(PHOTO: IFP)
(PHOTO: IFP)

All the print and electronic media in Manipur will observe a cease work strike for a day on Thursday in protest against the failure of the state to clear government advertisement bills to various media houses.

The decision was taken by the Editor’s Guild Manipur (EGM) and Manipur Hills Journalists’ Union (MHJU) during a joint meeting held on Wednesday.

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“As per the meeting resolution, there will be no news bulletin and discussion programme for electronic media on December 16 and no publication for print media on December 17”, said a joint statement issued by EGM and MHJU.

The media of Manipur will start boycotting news related to ministers, followed by the government and the ruling parties if no visible action is seen from the government side, it warned.

The EGM and MHJU also appealed to the government to take up the matter immediately to save the Manipur media.

Earlier, the EGM and MHJU had served an ultimatum to the government to clear the pending bills by December 15. Some of the media houses in the state have not received outstanding dues for the last two years for advertisements published by the government.

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According to the EGM, they have reminded the state on several occasions to clear the pending bills citing the hardship being faced by media houses particularly in the last two years.

Media houses were also badly affected by the global Covid-19 pandemic. But, despite the fear the media houses have been functioning to disseminate vital information to the public to combat the pandemic, said EGM.

The EGM said that the state has failed to recognise the contribution of the media by being indifferent to the extreme difficulties faced by the media houses in the past two years. Lives of journalists were also lost due to Covid-19 as they (journalists) continued to discharge their duties, the EDM lamented.

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EGMManipur media housemedia cease work strikeEditors' Guild manipurManipur Hills Journalists’ Union

IFP Bureau

IFP Bureau

IMPHAL, Manipur

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