Dialect newspapers educate and enlighten public in hill areas: Meghachandra Kongbam
DIPR
The 32nd foundation day of the Manipur Hill Journalists’ Union (MHJU) was celebrated yesterday at the DRDA Conference hall, Senapati. Many hill journalists from Churachandpur, Ukhrul, Chandel, Senapati and Tamenglong districts attended the function.
Shri ML. Markson, Chairman of the Senapati Autonomous District Council who was the Chief Guest on the occasion, stated that until and unless all the communities living together in Manipur extend co-operation and support each other, Manipur can not be a peaceful and progressive state.
In his speech, Shri Meghachandra Kongbam, Director of Information and Public Relations, Government of Manipur as Guest of Honour stated that dialect newspapers educate and enlighten public in hill areas of the State, besides providing day to day information. A close study of newspaper readership in India shows that there are more readers for language newspapers. This is mainly because English newspapers are confined to cities and towns whereas language newspapers are widely circulated in the rural areas. The Government of India has been paying a special attention towards the growth of dialect newspapers by empanelling of dialect newspapers in the DAVP on priority.
Shri Meghachandra Kongbam who had done P G Bachelor degree in Journalism from the Benaras Hindu University and also well experienced in the field of Journalism added every journalist is supposed to observe sincerity, truthfulness and accuracy; impartiality; fairplay and decency. As long as we maintain and preserve the above canons of journalism, our media products, which may be press or electronic media, will be of great value and credibility of the consumers.
With a view to raise the standard of journalism and to create awareness about the journalism in the hill areas of Manipur; the Department of Information & Public Relations, Government of Manipur, for the first time, is organizing a 7-day Basic Course in News Reporting at the District Headquarters of Senapati and Ukhrul in this month of September. Eligible qualification for the course is Graduate for fresh candidates; preference will be given to the working journalists. Course materials will be provided to the course participants and DIPR is also holding a three day Information and Public Relations Festivals in all hill districts and two valley districts with an aim to deliver the information on various significant developments taken place in the state to the people living in hill and rural areas, the Director added.
Saying that the officers of DIPR will always be with you whenever you deserve our service for the cause of a healthy journalism in Manipur and he also appealed to all the members of Manipur Hill Journalists Union to cooperate to DIPR.
The function was presided over by the President MHJU Shri Sothing Shimray.
Shri Ajaykumar Sharma, PRO/Defence also spoke about the role played by the hill journalists for the people in the hill areas.
