Press Council of India had been set up on November 16, 1966 under Press Council Act, 1965 in due recognition of the recommendations
of the first press commission of 1954.
Indian National leaders had addressed their views about the colonial press and the then emerging national press in independent India. Indian leaders had to face the music of the black Rowlatt Act, 1911 and the colonial AFSPA, 1942 enacted by the colonial ruler
Viceroy Lord [self-style, since the international community do not recognize Lords ]. The colonial press had to operate under certain restrictions of laws like Official Secrets Act,1923 and other laws.
The National Press day bears one more contextual relevance in the state of Manipur by considering the state of ongoing insurgency,
the prevention of awarding capital punishment to political dissenters or rebels under the Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947 and the external blitzkrieg of other national media that actively facilitate dreams of balkanization of the most irreducible territory of Manipur under one pretext or another.
The Press Council of India [PCI} had not been fully activated by the NGOs or individuals on or against a certain section of
the national media which tactfully carry forward the last agenda as cited. Freedom of Press had been abused by the national
media persons a la the CNN during American invasion of Iraq or other capitalist media that twist actual information in favour
of the US, much against the Communists or even anti-American capitalist rival powers.
Freedom had been twisted to meet national necessity and then, freedom of press had been anything but freedom. Karanjia, Blitz editor had been summoned to the parliament very often in the 1960s; similarly, several editors of National English dailies could be summoned to the Manipur Legislative Assembly for violation of the privilege of the house.
They had done enough - enough is enough and the house should monitor some of the English dailies published from outside Manipur. Even the AMWJU can create a cell of one or two members to keep tags on the grudging media leaders who carry forward the hidden agenda of triggering communal riots etc in Manipur.
The PCI like the MCI or the BCI is a self regulatory body, empowered with provisions of the Cr.P.C. to summon on orders or do
the needful on the non-compliance of the order. In 2005 alone, PCI had laid down as many as 48 decisions.
The PCI report tabled before the parliament, incorporated complaints from and against the press. Manipur citizens have not
used the provisions of the PCI Act fully to their advantage.
The 1965 Act had been amended by the 1978 Act. Citizens and aggrieved persons can communicate to the PCI in favour of or against the dailies by writing to PCI – [email protected] or to its New Delhi address at Sanchar Bhavan.
On the eve of National Press Day, we can refresh ourselves with the broad principles evolved by the PCI viz., journalistic standards, caution about obscenity, scurrilous writings, journalistic impropriety, right to reply, defamation, pre-verification of news
[which hardly any media in the NE region does], right to privacy of the public figures [ not necessarily legislators ],
freedom of press and the Guidelines.
As the author had discussed, the 10 Commandments of the India Army, 1993 and another 12 in 2005 at the
AMESCO function on 12 November 2007, that the media might have liberally covered
in the interest of 24 lakh souls, the PCI also had issued 10 guidelines in 1969 and another 12 guidelines in 1990.
International print media faces challenges from the real time reporting of the electronic media, however, print media would come to stay. The future print media could be different- Microsoft friendly editors may simply flash the news on the walls of Mr. Lalhanba, or a Konok Thengra at Kakching Khunou.
In retrospect, Bhagyabati Patrika had forewarned Manipur king not to drop at Shillong for the imminent merger event. No other media could hardly compete with the real time, advanced, forecasting ability of the tiny, obscure tabloid- Bhagaybati Patrika.
Ngasi, Simant Patrika, Parjatantra, Anouba Samaj had been wonderful dailies published in Manipur subsequently after the Manipur annexation. Ethnic press has come to press from Churachandpur and northern hills.
Contemporary dailies do not deserve any form of underestimation by considering their courage and field reporting from places where angels dare to tread.
However, there is no limit for improvement – sky is the limit. Insurgency reporting is inalienable from freedom of press, as the media is not a cell of home ministry of India; however, the ideas of the Indian army ought to be given fair coverage, as the press belongs neither to the metropolitan regime nor the belligerents.
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| An indefinite sit-in demonstration by AMWJU on August 1, 2007 after a gift-wrapped grenade was delivered to The Sangai Express. |
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Some technical mistakes might have been committed by flouting the republican system that we had accepted in the course of Human history or by denouncing article 18 of the Constitution of India which explicitly forbids use of title like king, maharani, badsah so and so forth.
These minor mistakes would invite ridicule to the person of the responsible editors, centuries later the demise of the editors. Freedom is hard won and none is ready to lose the same because of irresponsibility or impropriety or crash political ignorance.
Some leading National Dailies install their own Ombudsman to maintain justice, standard, fairness from within. Western media had been fraught with the paparazzi or, the yellow that the PCI of India had seriously considered, although Watergate et. al did wonderful jobs in cleaning up the democracy.
At a point of time Izvestia and Pravada also won laurels in the Soviet union and the communist world. The fourth estate is not only indispensable but also inalienable in shaping and further advancing our civilizational values across the board.
The National press day is significant in the NE region and Manipur on more than one count. Freedom and responsibility are inseparable though.
* Prof. Naorem Sanajaoba of Gauhati University, Assam contributes regularly to e-pao.net.
The author had been editor of Matamgee Khongthang in 1975 and executive editor of the Cultural Flow Quarterly in 1969.
His writings spread over a span of more than four decades.
The writer can be contacted at naorem06(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)in .
This article was webcasted on 16th November 2007 on the eve of National Press Day.
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