Most of the information we have risks comes to us by way of the mass media. Is a story worth dying for? And is the quality of journalism sometimes responsible for the fate in an increasing dangerous world? One will meet them in a remotest corner of India-Myanmar frontier region, armed with nothing else, but a note-book and pen, in a hot pursuit of a story. Some journalists do not hesitate to take personal risks to ferret out information of vital importance to society. Instead, most reporting about hazards and their associated risks comes in the guise of news and feature stories about accidents, illness, natural disasters, and scientific breakthroughs.

I am speaking of course, of the journalists of the Indo-Myanmar frontier region, especially the Indian North Eastern States. It is the time of year when grim figures about the state of Press freedom worldwide come out. Substantially fewer journalists were killed, arrested, attacked or threatened during the 21 century, fewer media outlets censored.

Though they work in a dangerous profession, they are vulnerable and unprotected. Many of them are thorns in the flesh of the so-called guardians of the law. Since there is no rule of Law in a conflict ravaged areas and the pattern has been that in nine out of 10 causes of a journalists killing no one is brought to book, including freelancer's, this precisely is the reason why the roster of journalists in the Indian North Eastern State who have been killed or injured in line of duty is long. They are breed apart, for they work in what is called a conflict zone.

For instance, in Manipur State has been quite some years. Media Martyrs raised to a number of crossfire between the insurgent groups and the security forces. Since there is no rule of law in a conflict ravaged areas and the dead of some journalists' are like- Shri Lalrohlu Hmar, Editor of Hmar Shan Daily Newspaper on October 11, 1999, Shri T. Brajamani Singh, Editor of the English Daily of Manipur News, who was shot dead by unidentified armed militants on August 20, 2000, Shri Khupkholian Simte, Editor of Leenlai Magazine on April 27, 2001, and Shri Konsam Rishikanta, Reporter of the Imphal Free Press on November 17, 2008.

But other like Shri Yambem Megha, correspondent of the North East Vision and Shri R. K. Sanatomba, Editor of Kangla Lan Pung remainded within the regional periphery and that, too,On December 23,2012 Shri Thangjam Nanau Singh of Prime Time, a satellite channel based Guwahati Correspondent was killed, when police opened fire to disperse supporters of Manipur Film Forum who had allegedly torched a police vehicle, for an unacceptable short time. Journalist victims who have been felled by bullets of miscreants in Northeastern states are ever longer. As reported by the Media from time to time not less than 50 journalists are been either killed or reported missing in the last 25 years. The most well-known case in Assam murder of legendary journalist Shri Parag Kumar Das, the Editor of Asomiya Pratidin, who was gunned down on May 16, 1996 in a broad daylight when he was bring his son from school. He had been a firm crusader for civil rights in the back drop of unlimited power conferred on the armed forces in tackling insurgency as also against anti-social element indulged in by a section of surrender militants.

In fact, Indian North Eastern State of Assam too is dangerous for the profession, even in Indian Constitution, "Freedom of Expression" is granted by Article 19(i) (a) and it has been held by Supreme Court that freedom of Press, is included in the wider guarantee. In Assam, many of the journalists had been killed and similarly caught in the crossfire between the insurgents, the state and the surrendered militants. The very first insurgency-related first killing are Shri Purnarmal Agarwatta, correspondent of the Assam Tribune fell to the bullets fired by suspected ULFA militants way back in 1987. The death of Shri Kamala Saikia, local correspondent of Ajir Asom at Sivasagar, on August 9, 1991 allegedly at the hands of ULFA had created a stir akin to that after Shri Parag Kumar Das's death, but resulted no conviction. Today, how many of us even recalled the name of this correspondent let alone give him due credit for the courage he had displayed within an inimical environment??

Another Media man Shri Pabitra Narayan, who worked as the correspondent of the North-East Times was shot dead at Sonari on August 19, 1995, presumably by timber smugglers. Of course, the Trouble in the Bodo dominated areas has claimed its share to a slain journalists, Shri Manik Duri Goreshwar, who was allegedly killed at Diphu on April 26, 1996, by members of the Bodo Liberation Tigers. Yet, there was another insurgency related deaths though not by bullet. For instance in 1999, Shri Jiten Sutiya, a journalist based at Sivasagar, was killed in a Grenade explosion inside the Superintendent of Police's office.

In 1998, Shri Nurul Hoque, a local journalist of Hojai was killed by suspected Mafia. Another case, which raised considerable public attention, was the killing of Shri Prahlad Goala, district correspondent of Asomiya Khabar at Golaghat, in 2006, after he had sent several news stories exposing the tree-felling mafia of his areas.

In between, we have a lost of Martyrs of the Media, including Shri Indra Kumar Haksam of Amar Asom and Shri Dwijen Das of Ajir Batori, both were abducted by unknown persons and presumed murdered. Shri Jagjit Saikia of Amar Asom in Assam fell to a similar fate in the hands of insurgents in 2008. In 2009, Shri Anil Majumdar, editor of Aji, was shot dead on the streets of Guwahati by presumed militants. The last journalists to met a similar fate had been Shri Bimila Prasad Taludar, editor of the Swatantra Azad, who was shot dead in 2010 at Hojal.

The global furor currently being raised at the killing of journalists in trouble spot such as Syria and Afghanistan, especially in South East Asia has become a really dangerous place to work. Nepal's Federation of Nepalese Journalists' just released a year-end report which is hardly account of 284 incidents in one calendar year. The Pakistan Press Foundation's monthly of incidents were 21 from December 2011 including CD shops and Internet cafes being torched or bombed, less about journalism than about the Taliban's intolerance of what it considers as a sinful Media. This shows that there is more than meets the eye in the law and order scenario with the public perception that there is a nexus between maintaining law and order, politicians and insurgent element in the region.

Therefore, news safety is increasingly becoming a vital issue. Alan Johnston of the BBC, who has been held hostage in Gaza in the past, said at the conference that "no story is worth dying for, any time a reporter in the field is not happy going forward he need not. It is never a question of editors."Yet, the killings and the lack of sustained public condemnation or official action have not cowed down the media of the India Northeast frontier region. For which it deserves admiration. Examine your news process for basic standards. It should be fair, balanced, and independent. Check all facts and issue corrections immediately. The emerging wisdom on the subject is that while 90 percent of journalists safety training is about riot and war zone preparedness, 99 percent of the opportunity for deflecting harm lies in the news room. Such a healthy trend can be maintained by the media in this region in spite of the vulnerability of scribes and the constant stress they are subjected.

Siamchinthang Tangpua
Freelance Journalist