Media workshop urges child-sensitive reporting practices in Manipur

Imphal: A media workshop on child rights protection in Manipur called upon journalists to avoid sensationalism and adopt child-sensitive practices such as using pseudonyms, blurring visuals, and ensuring stories remain informative yet protective.

The Manipur Digital Media Association (MDMA), in collaboration with the Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) and the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Manipur, jointly organised a one-day workshop titled “Consultation on Ethical Media Practices for Protecting Child Rights and Dignity in Manipur” at the DIPR office auditorium in Imphal on Saturday.

MCPCR Chairperson Keisham Pradipkumar spoke at length on the topic “Responsible Digital Media and Social Platforms”, emphasising the dos and don’ts of reporting that media persons should follow while covering sensitive issues and crimes involving children.

He noted that journalists must not misuse children as objects of sympathy and must safeguard their identity, rights, privacy, and dignity.

Editor of The Frontier Manipur, Dhiren Sadokpam, said journalists must always preserve and protect the privacy, dignity, and physical and emotional development of children.

He highlighted the need for sensitisation to check and balance the trauma caused by disclosing the identity of juvenile children involved in crises or crimes. He added that reporting should follow accurate verification, ethical guidelines, accountability mechanisms, and the core values of digital media.

State Coordinator, MCPCR-UNICEF, Boipu Koireng, underlined the importance of digital media ethics in the present day, stating that its key components include collecting relevant information, developing frameworks, and ensuring linkages in child protection.

Drawing the attention of the gathering, DIPR Director Ngangom Uttam stressed the need for taking occasional digital breaks from social media to cope with the challenges created by the rapidly evolving digital space.

“Humans are not well-equipped to face the sudden and drastic changes in the vast digital landscape,” he said. He added that the primary motive of social media giants such as Facebook and Instagram is to capture maximum public attention to accelerate their revenue generation through advertising.

An interactive session and discussion among participants and resource persons followed the PowerPoint presentations.