National Media reportage of Manipur conflict violates PCI Norms Says A Research
HY News
03 January, 2024 07:47 pm IST
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National Media reportage of Manipur conflict violates PCI Norms Says A Research
New Delhi: On 3rd January a research report carried out under the supervision of JNU Prof Akoijam Bimol titled '’National' Media and Manipur Mayhem, ‘which is a study that examines the reportage of 5 leading National media houses regarding the Manipur violence during May 2023-August 2023 was released.
Utilizing the ethical codes delineated by the Press Council of India (PCI), 2022, as the framework of the assessment and using theoretical and methodological tools of media studies, it sought to assess the reportage regarding the Manipur crisis and to see whether their reports were fair, accurate, objective, and ethical said a press released. The study's findings covering 1599 news reports during the 4 months found that the media houses did not adhere to their codes of conduct in many instances during their reporting about the crisis.
For instance, one of the key patterns noted in the news reportage is the use of ‘sources’ being quoted in the news items. It has been found that the ‘Kuki’ sources are quoted far more than the Meitei sources in the news reports and this difference is statistically found to be significant.
The study also sheds light on the biases in the vocabulary employed. For instance, the loss of life of the ‘Kuki’ (or tribal) is often described as “killed” and that of the Meitei as “died”. The use of "killed" to describe the 'Kuki' deaths implies an intentional, unjust, and unnatural loss of life, hinting at those responsible for these deaths.
Even when referring to an incident involving firing, it remains vague, deflecting attention from attributing responsibility to the 'Kukis' for the deaths of the three Meiteis who they killed on 2nd July 2023.
The research found that such biased reportage may have aggravated the situation instead of focussing on core issues based on factual reporting.
In terms of the correspondents reporting on the crisis, it was noted that out of 588 reports in the months of May and June, 518 were from outside the state whereas only 70 news reports were from the local correspondents. This was a clear case of ‘parachute journalism’ wherein reporters are dispatched from distant regions or with limited local knowledge to cover crises or events, often lacking an in-depth understanding of the area's historical context, cultural nuances, and intricate societal dynamics.
The research was carried out under the supervision of Prof. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, JNU, and published by Media and Policy Analysis and Advocacy Loisang, Imphal.
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