Pradip Phanjoubam, editor-proprietor of the Manipur English daily Imphal Free Press, on how the mainstream Indian media has covered the 100-day-old blockade in the northeastern State, in conversation with Jyoti Punwani in The Times of India:
How do you view the media’s coverage of Manipur’s situation?
Many TV channels themselves said Maharashtra or Gujarat would not have been allowed to be blockaded, even for a week. One channel told me it would cost them Rs 2 lakh to send their team for 15 minutes of coverage. They would need the same amount in advertising to pay for the coverage…’It’s a backward tribal area. These tribals are difficult to handle’ – I’ve heard this so many times, even from central government officials. We are just ‘the other’.
Read the full interview: ‘If Manipur had 12 MPs, we would be wooed’
Check out the newspaper: Imphal Free Press
IJR 
Irrespective of the fact whether the media reports on it or not, it is the sovereign duty of state, central govt in this case, to ensure that the national highway does not remain blocked for long periods. 100 days is really long. If the govt can’t clear it, they loose the right to rule. Our brother and sister of Manipur are suffering for unacceptable lethargy of our govt
Your definition of MSM obviously excludes The Pioneer. We need a sans serif to police Wearethebest
Pradip is spot on. And this person/entity called “kaangeya” is absolutely right, even if unwittingly so. The Pioneer is a rag that survives on patronage inherited from the days of the BJP raj and some shady real estate deals. And seeing this name “kaangeya” a person whose identity I have not been able to uncover despite several attempts, brings back certain memories.