JOIN USThe media in Chhattisgarh is under “tremendous pressure” from state government as well as Maoists with journalists feeling that “police is listening to every word we speak”, a report by Editors Guild of India has said.
There is a “general feeling” in the Chhattisgarh government that a large section of the national media is pro-Maoist, the report prepared by a three-member fact-finding team quoted a senior editor close to the government as telling them.
The team was send to Bastar region, one of the Maoist hotspot, following recent reports of arrests of journalists as well as some others forced to leave the region following protests against anti-Maoist vigilante outfit Samajik Ekta Manch.
“There is a sense of fear in Bastar. Every journalist who is working in Bastar feels that he or she is not safe. On one hand they have to deal with Maoists who are becoming more and more sensitive about reports appearing in the media and on the other hand the police wants the media to report as and what they want,” the report said.
Journalists are finding it difficult to gather and disseminate news due to “pressure” from the state administration, especially by the police.
“There is pressure from Maoists as well. There is a general perception that every journalist is under the government scanner and all their activities are under surveillance,” the report added.