Imphal, November 16 2010: State information minister, TN Haokip today asserted confronting all odds ahead of them, media houses and media persons should not back away from highlighting issues in front of the state and the people.

Addressing the National Press Day observance function at Manipur Press Club, Major Khul, the minister also expressed concern over the increasing threats and interferences to the media houses and media persons.

"We have to confront all these odds with patience until the conflicting problems of the state are solved.

But, remember the role of media to end these persisting conflicts is great.

You (media) should accept the challenges and work to achieve the ends," he said.

The National Press Day was observed by the Directorate of Information and Public Relation (DIPR) with the theme this year "Media and Present Society " .

A seminar on the theme "Media and Present Society" was also held as part of the observance function in which former Hueiyen Lanpao editor, S Bharat Bhushan, advocate Khaidem Mani and prof MC Arun presented papers on the theme.

Retired news editor of AIR, Imphal, Seram Mangi moderated the technical session of the seminar.

Resource persons observed that the land (Manipur) is no more a place where all sections of the society co-exist.

The state which is home to many communities and tribes is fast becoming a land which is unsafe for human settlement.

The land is now a state of unrest.

The ideology of peaceful co-existence among the different communities has vanished.

Each community or tribe is in the dream of living separate from each other.

The face of comunalism is now prominent.

People seem to be returning to the Stone Age period of human civilization.

This is in total contrast to the objective the media to bring a more balanced and developed society.

The general populace want to live in harmony with the ideology of peaceful co-existence.

In total contrast, media houses are flooded with press releases of challenges, intimidations and conflicting statements.

The media houses under threats have to entertain the same, S Bharatbushan, former editor of Hueiyen Lanpao who talked as resource person observed.

The media which to take a major responsibility in the advancement of society is no more working independently.

The media which is to work independently in a constructive way is under pressure to entertain with press notes or releases dispatched by pressure various groups.

In short the media is being used as their mouth piece, the former editor lamented.

In the view of advocate Khaidem Mani, the purpose of press and media is to advance the public interest by publishing facts and opinions, seems to no longer exist.

In today's democratic system of a free society, freedom of press is the heart of social and political intercourse.

The press in other parts has now assumed the role of providing public education making formal and non-formal education possible in a large scale particularly in the developing world.

The role of legislatures and the judiciary in their efforts to maintain rule of law, to usher in 'economic and social justice' and the administrative apparatus needed for securing advantages and benefits to the weaker sections was described at length.

However he said,the fact that the media has been playing a very significant role in the cause of social justice in a variety of ways has been forgotten by all.

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