NEW DELHI: Journalists face multiple challenges, including lack of insurance and the threat of violence, while reporting from the conflict areas of Northeastern states, said senior journalists at a webinar organised by the Editors Guild of India on Tuesday.
Sanjoy Hazarika, an activist and a senior journalist, said: “There is an extreme threat of violation and intimidation on journalists like the attack on Patricia Mukhim in the Northeast.”
Pradip Phanjoubam, the editor of Imphal Free Press, said: “I think it is wrong for journalists to be blamed for reporting the way they do... I should distinguish between reporters reporting for local papers and a newspaper/TV channel based out of New Delhi. That becomes a hurdle on what is happening in the Northeast.”
Award-winning journalist Teresa Rehman spoke of the struggles faced by female reporters. “There is a need for collaboration for media start-ups in the area. We want to tell the world that we are not a museum but a vibrant and living world,” she said.