The Bias Meitei Media and Meitei Journalists

The Kukis of Manipur have long suffered the negative reporting of the biased Meitei media and its so-called journalists, much before the May 3rd incident. The EGI's recent fact-finding into the one-sided news of the Imphal-based press and journalists is only a reaffirmation of what has already been regularly experienced by the Kukis.

Even in present times, the Meitei press has repeatedly attempted to sow discord between the Kuki communities even during the conflict. For instance, the Imphal Free Press (IFP), utilising all of its wild hallucinations, reported in August 2023 that there was an armed clash between the Kuki groups in Lamka town. In one interview the editor of Imphal Review of Arts and Politics, Mr. Pradip Phanjoubam, attempted to wash off his hands on the bias reporting of the Meitei press, and shift the blame on the violent situation rather than accepting his biases. He stated, "There are no Kuki journalists in the Imphal Valley and vice versa. Obviously, the full picture does not emerge and this is a matter of regret. These are trying times." (Source: DW)

Views of a Lamka journalist: Not able to travel for a 'fair journalism' is a lame excuse by the bias Meitei Journalists. They could have picked up phones and asked for opinion / comment / rebuttal from the Kukis, which they have not bothered to do. They might have thought that the opinions of the Kukis are not worthy. The statement of Mr. Pradip is only a reaffirmation of the superiority complex the meiteis have vis-a-vis the Kukis.

Even when there is an attack on the Kuki villages by the Meitei terrorists, the bias Meitei media always appear to be ignorant of the facts, and very slyly avoid mentioning any word indicating or is synonymous to Meitei terrorists. For instance, when 3 innocent Kuki villagers were killed by Meitei terrorists at Thawai Kuki of Kamjong District in August 2023, the bias Meitei Sangai Express refused to call the innocent Kuki villagers as innocent, and had carried on their 'labelling' of the Kukis, in line with COCOMI's labelling of the Kukis as Narco-terrorists, and referred to the victims as Kuki militants; at the same time they refused to call out the Meitei terrorists as the attackers and sugar-coated the term Meitei terrorists as “unidentified armed persons”. Such a biased approach of the Meitei newspapers is done intentionally for only one reason – to blame the Kukis, and to continue fanning the communal flames.

In this regard, despite the glaring bias of the Meitei newspapers and its pliant journalists, it is appalling to note that the regulatory body of the Press – The Press Council of India – never bothers to check if the Meitei press and its journalists are acting in a fair manner, or are following the press ethics.

Equally appalling is the lethargy of our Kuki leaders in not taking up appropriate steps at the right juncture to appeal to the concerned authorities to inquire into the biases of the Meitei media. Rather, it was the Assam Rifles who had the sense to invite the Editors Guild of India (EGI) to check into the bias approach of the Meitei press. This should be a wake-up call for the leaders and CSOs of the Kuki community to be ever vigilant, and to not take things for granted, and to always question the biased Meitei government, biased Meitei public, and its biased press. This is what we must continually do to survive. As Thomas Jefferson once said: “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”