Mainstream Media & the North-East

 

 

Chaired by: Shri Govind Singh, Executive Editor, Hindustan

Main Speaker: Prof. Bimol Akoijam, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Guest of Honour: Shri Neelabh Mishra, Editor, Outlook (Hindi)

 

The North-East has been facing manifold challenges. The question of internal security, external aggression, insurgency and development are some of them. Infiltration, social divide, linguistic feuds are some issues which keep the region boiling. At the same time, it is culturally rich and its contributions have been immense, especially in cottage industries and language. But the region largely finds place in the mainstream media only when there is some negative development like army intervention, social feuds, infiltration or insurgencies. Its culture and people, society and politics hardly get significant attention and place in the mainstream media. The IPF, as a part of its plan to discuss in detail the perspective and policies towards the North-East and the concomitant response of its people, organised the seminar on Mainstream Media and the North East.

 

Participating in the discussions, Prof Akoijam said the national media is always depriving the North-East of its due share in news space. Sh. Neelabh Mishra was of the opinion that market forces caused the exclusion of the North East from the media while Sh. Govind Singh saw the need to change the perspective towards the North-East. Prof Rakesh Sinha said the North-East was poorly represented in our national consciousness.

 

Over a hundred intellectuals, including a large number of students and researchers from the North-East, attended the seminar. Sushma Wahengbam welcomed the guests, Deelitha extended the vote of thanks and Navneet presented the guests the latest publications of the IPF. A consensus emerged at the seminar that the North-East deserves more space in the national media.