Are you telling India what it wants to know?
The media tells you who to love, who to hate, who to be afraid of, who to trust, what to think, and what not to think.
A population of 1.2 billion, 28 States, 8 Union Territories, 398 Languages, 17,573 Newspaper Publications, and more than 230 current affairs and news T.V channels, and yet how many of us were aware of the protests, violence, arson, strikes, and a potential civil uprising in the State of Manipur? Ever since the first week of May 2023, Manipur has been witnessing a slew of ethnic clashes which have resulted in the death of 130 people, left more than 355 injured, and has accounted for more than 60,000 people to flee their homes.
The State is primarily divided into three communities: Meiteis, Kukis, and Nagas. The violence erupted when the Manipur High Court directed the government to submit its recommendation regarding the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list. Since the Manipur government is dominated by the Meiteis, this has been a source of agitation for the Kuki community for a while.
In recent months, the actions and decisions taken by the Manipur government have further deepened the sense of discrimination and insecurity among the Kuki community. Chief Minister Biren Singh has claimed that many illegal migrants from Myanmar have settled in the state, particularly in reserved and protected forests. The government has taken measures to address this issue. Additionally, the government has conducted a land survey of reserve forests, protected areas, wetlands, and wildlife, identifying encroachers and serving them eviction notices.
The Kukis harbor resentment towards the Meiteis because they believe that the Meitei-dominated state governments have neglected their areas and denied them adequate political representation. They argue that the inclusion of the Meitei language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and the Meiteis' relatively better educational, social, and economic status exacerbate the situation. If the Meiteis are granted Scheduled Tribe status, they fear that the Meiteis will monopolize government jobs and benefits previously granted to the tribes by the Constitution and acquire land belonging to the tribal people, as land purchase restrictions in the hills would not apply to them.
The ongoing attacks, brutal killings, property destruction, and targeting of religious sites have fueled intense animosity between the Meiteis and Kukis. Reconciliation appears unlikely in the near future due to the significant bloodshed, inflicted pain, and hate speeches exchanged between the two communities.
But all of this was highlighted by our primetime media channels only three weeks after the violence commenced. Over the past few decades, the framework of Indian journalism has changed into being more of an entertainment platform rather than explanatory and enlightening. The reason for this is the increasing customer base. With the increasing customer base, media outlets are becoming highly competitive and are functioning on a ‘TRP’ model. Media outlets have become avenues and mouthpieces for supporting political views of the ruling government rather than providing actual on-ground reporting and verified news. India ranks 161 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index.
The youth of today has access to the internet and with one quick search, they are introduced to everything on the topic searched. But what about those who do not resort to the internet as fact-finding tools and solely relying on news channels for their daily dose of information? Aren’t they being robbed of this information? If our media outlets do not start highlighting the truth and showcasing the ground reality then very soon we might be witnessing the death of democracy. Because as American author Andrew Wash once said, “Journalism is what maintains democracy, it is the force for progressive social change.”
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