AMWJU, EGM lay down clear stand

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 31 : The All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) and Editors' Guild Manipur (EGM) have refuted the allegations made by a certain content creator on social media that they prevented the publication of news related to a regional political party at the behest of an armed group.
In a joint statement, the AMWJU and EGM stated that neither body has, at any point, issued any instruction to restrict, prevent, or censor the publication of news concerning any political party or organisation.
AMWJU and EGM noted that a video posted on YouTube and Facebook by a certain content creator has made misleading and unfounded allegations, implying that the two bodies prevented the publication of news related to a regional political party at the behest of an armed group.
Denying these "baseless insinuations," the AMWJU and EGM stated that they had adopted a joint resolution on September 25, appealing to all members and media houses to uphold the freedom of the press and act without fear or favour.
It further stated that the meeting had reminded all Editors and journalists of Clause 16 of the local Code of Conduct, which clearly stipulates that Editors shall not entertain any diktat from any quarter to publish or not to publish any news report or press release.
Expressing serious concern that the said video, by circulating unverified and misleading claims, seeks to tarnish the image and integrity of the journalist fraternity and erode public trust in the media institutions, AMWJU and EGM urgd the content creator concerned and those making insinuations to make the necessary clarification and remove or correct the  misleading statements at the earliest.
AMWJU and EGM also appealed to  the public to verify facts through authentic  sources and not be misled by unsubstantiated online content.