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The media as we know, has the role and duty of keeping people informed and shaping opinions. In Manipur, even as the agreed upon consensus is that the media sector is placed under serious strain given the nature of the society and the various push and pulls that exist, the media is relevant for various players and stakeholders of assorted shades and hues. If the Government and its various agencies scan the news hoping that only their ‘achievements’ are highlighted and never their failings; the various organizations, civil society groups and associations, NGOs and others try to keep the media informed on the urgency and importance of their stands and viewpoints so that they are then relayed to the reading masses. Sometimes, there is just so much significance given to the media unnecessarily that functions, organized either by Government agencies or those by the non Government related bodies do not start if the media turn up at such events gets delayed or trickles down to a few. And while it is true that the media is often caught in the middle of various armed state and non state actors who all want their way of thinking and their statements carried in toto, the same applies for non armed state and non state actors. The only difference obviously is that the non state armed forces can very well send gifts of wrapped up lethod launchers as one media house did or make very polite phone calls requesting for certain news to be carried and ‘prominently’ at that. Which then begs the question whether the media in Manipur just a space to be filled up by the statements made by various actors. The other relevant area in the importance of what appears in the media is whether anything is achieved at all when certain things that are dictated gets carried in the media, whether their inclusion in the media by the push factor guarantees that the general population believes in what is spouted.
But for various stakeholders across the board, the media is important to show that they are working for the greater good of the common man. Which is why NGOs and various do gooders will make a beeline for media presence and bombard media houses with their press releases. All of which they think are important and of a very urgent nature. Put the social vigilante groups in the picture and what does the media have on its hands but requests for reporters to be dispatched to places where couples or young people have been caught in varying degrees of intimacy. Such groups will demand that the media listen to their lecture to those unfortunate enough to be caught in their social drives and insist that names and photos are published. If the reporters are not dispatched, they helpfully send in detailed reports with the photos. There is also an interesting category of groups that may or not exist in reality but will send in signed press releases without any official letterhead or a call back contact number. Many years ago, there was an instance of a bandh call given by a group that no one had heard of. It did come with a letterhead and verification at the area brought to light that the group was non existent. Such is the fare that the media in Manipur has to live with amidst the push and pull of various powerful groups that does exist.
IFP has made its case for the insensitive manner in which various groups including JACs highlight the name of women who have undergone rape and other forms of sexual assault and the media falls under the pressure of exposing what happens. Often, various stakeholders in the state fall upon themselves to be seen as doing well for the other people but do not realize that what they are doing is spreading insensitivity. We see this in the manner in which VIPs, MLAs, Ministers and representatives of various groups go calling upon those who have undergone vulnerable situations and call in the media as recorders. And when the media here fall for such cons or play a part of the great public relations machinery, we are accepting that sometimes it is not just the threats that shuts us up but the inability to know what is relevant and what is not.
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