Media Houses boycott Govt, ruling parties
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, April 23 2022:
Media houses have decided to boycott all news related to state government and BJP Manipur Pradesh following their failure to respond to appeal to clear pending advertisement bills by Saturday 4 pm.
According to release jointly signed by presidents of AMWJU, MHJU and EGM, a joint meeting of the publishers, editors and representatives of the unions was held at Manipur Press Club on Saturday and recalled the appeal made by a joint meeting on April 15 asking the government and BJP Manipur Pradesh to clear the pending advertisement bills.
However, following no response from the government and BJP the meeting decided to go ahead with the boycott.
In case of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, the meeting resolved to give some time following assurance given by its president.
The boycott, according to the resolution, will cover all news related to the state government, ruling parties - BJP and NPF.
The boycott will also include all government advertisements including those of its authorities, corporation like the PDA, LDA, etc.
The media boycott will however not include the offices of the Governor, speaker, Covid-19 and pandemic related news including medical emergencies.
Crime related stories of law and order will also be exempted from the boycott, as per the resolution, it informed.
The boycott will come into effect from Sunday till the pending bills are paid or an understanding arrived at with the parties concerned.
The boycott came after the government failed to clear the bills even after series of assurances given by the chief minister and chief secretary, the release said.
The media bodies had suspended an earlier boycott call following personal intervention by the chief minister and the chief secretary.
Bills running into crores of rupees are pending with the government while bills running into lakhs for advertisements made in connection with the recently held Assembly election are pending with both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress.
Media houses in the state are reeling under financial strain following the pandemic and rising cost of news production.
It has been appealing the government to take a sympathetic view of situation to avoid the confrontation, it added.