Northeast and Its Portrayal in Broadcast Media-A Picture Beyond Terrorism and Insurgency

NORTHEAST AND ITS PORTRAYAL IN BROADCAST MEDIA-A PICTURE BEYOND TERRORISM AND INSURGENCY

Surupasree Sarmmah Registered Number: 1324055

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science in Communication

Christ University Bengaluru

2015

Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Department of Media Studies

Christ University Department of Media Studies

This is to certify that I have examined this copy of a master‟s thesis by

Surupasree Sarmmah Registered Number: 1324055

and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made.

Committee Members:

______

Date: ______

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I, Surupasree Sarmmah confirm that this dissertation andMa the work presented in it are original. 1. Where I have consulted the published work of others this is always clearly attributed. 2. Where I have quoted from the work of others the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations this dissertation is entirely my own work. 3. I have acknowledged all main sources of help. 4. If my research follows on from previous work or is part of a larger collaborative research project I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself. 5. I am aware and accept the penalties associated with plagiarism.

Date: Signature

Abstract

Northeast and Its Portrayal in the Broadcast Media: A Picture beyond Terrorism and Insurgency

Surupasree Sarmmah Masters of Science in Communication, Christ University, Bengaluru

Northeast India is a rich home of natural beauty and magnificence surrounding the seven sister states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and the nearby hilly state of Sikkim. In any case it is a bizarre reality that such an inconceivable region of the nation stays inadequately spoken and noticed in the national cognizance. Presently there is a distorted understanding of the information and development from the region almost all the time by the news channels or newspaper about the Northeast. Much responsibility for performing such an ignoring act lies amidst the national media which lacks in broadcasting news from this area for its national perusers and viewers. The national media is alarmed or somewhat fixated on news of violence and insurgency which comes from this part of India. There is so much that is happening in the Northeast part of the country apart from bomb-blasts, kidnappings, terrorist activities or any other kind of violence. There is development that can be seen in almost every sphere, be it cinema, music, sports achievements, adventurous achievements, the IT sector, education, health, aviation, and the count is endless, but the media doesn‟t seem to give any kind of importance or show any concern to such news.

Key words: Broadcast Media, Northeast India, Insurgency, Terrorism

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to convey my warm regards to my guide Prof. Aasita Bali for her boundless patience and support. This dissertation would not have been completed without her guidance. I would also like to thank my course coordinator Fr. Biju and the entire Department of Media Studies for giving me the opportunity to do a research on my chosen topic. I am immensely grateful to my family and friends who have been a support system all throughout and helped me complete my dissertation.

DEDICATION

To the people of Northeast India

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION ...... 1

Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ...... 11

Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY ...... 16

Chapter 4 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ...... 20

Chapter 5 CONCLUSION ...... 50

REFERENCES...... 52

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.Chart showing the number of people who watch news channels ...... 28 Figure 2.Chart showing the number of hours a day people watches news ...... 29 Figure 3.Chart showing the time of the day people watch news ...... 30 Figure 4 .Chart showing the most frequently watched news channels ...... 31 Figure 5.Chart showing the type of news people prefers ...... 32 Figure 6 Chart showing people's view on the content of the news channels ...... 33 Figure 7.Chart showing if people think news channels today have lost its credibility ..... 34 Figure . Chart showing if people think there is an influence of TRP ratings in news content ...... 35 Figure 9. Chart showing the kind of news inclusivity from the northeast region of India 36 Figure 10. Chart showing people's view on if Northeast region of India needs a bigger space ...... 37 Figure 11.Chart showing if media can change the distorted image of the Northeast India ...... 38 Figure 12.Chart showing the interest of people on the news from the Northeast region ...... 39 Figure 13.Chart showing if people think that discussion panel raises the momentum of a topic discussed...... 40 Figure 14.Chart showing if people watch discussion panel/ programmes ...... 41 Figure 15.Chart showing if people had come across any topic regarding the Northeast region being discussed in discussion panels ...... 42 Figure 16 Chart showing discussion panels can give more introduction to the Northeast region of India ...... 43

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Table showing the number ofpeople who watch news channels ...... 28 Table 2. Table showing the number of hours a day people watch news...... 29 Table 3. Table showing the time of the day people watch news ...... 30 Table 4. Table showing the most frequently watched news channels ...... 31 Table 5. Table showing the type of news people prefers ...... 32 Table 6. Table showing people's view on the content of the news channels ...... 33 Table 7. Table showing if people think news channels today have lost its credibility ...... 34 Table 8. Table showing influence of TRP ratings in news content ...... 35 Table 9. Table showing the kind of news inclusivity from the northeast region of India ...... 36 Table10.Table showing people's view on if Northeast region of India needs a bigger space ...... 37 Table 11.Table showing if media can change the distorted image of the Northeast India ...... 38 Table 12.Table showing the interest of people on the news from the Northeast region ...... 39 Table13.Table showing if people think that discussion panels raises the momentum of a topic discussed ...... 40 Table 14. Table showing if people watch discussion panel/ programmes ...... 41 Table15.Table showing if people had come across any topic regarding the Northeast region being discussed in discussion panels ...... 42 Table16.Table showing discussion panels can give more introduction to the Northeast region of India...... 43

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Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

India, a land of many different cultures, languages, religions, festivals and geographic landscape which makes her one of the most colourful and diverse countries of the world. It is the seventh largest country by area, the second most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world (Wikipedia). There are 29 States and 7 Union Territories.

1.1 Introduction to the Northeast

Northeast India is one of the most vibrant regions amongst the others of the country. As regards to the topographical size, Northeast India constitutes around 8% of the aggregate India's size that is around 262,230 kms (101.250 sq.mi.). Northeast India's populace (all the eight states consolidated) is more or less 40 million (2011 registration), which represents3.1% of the aggregate Indian populace (1,210million)(Wikipedia). The diversity and the huge collection of flora and fauna exhibit its rich natural heritage. North East India has some of the most uncommon and rare species of birds and the collection rises to 850 different types of this species. The Eastern Himalaya and the Assam region have been distinguished as an Endemic Bird Area by the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (ICBP 1992). The area's marsh and wet tropical forests are thought to be the northernmost genuine tropical rainforests in the entire world. It has a number of forest reserves like the Namdapha National Park, Manas National Park, Kaziranga National park, Orang National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Sepahijola Wildlife Sanctuary and Keibul Lamjao National Park are some of the most popular forest reserve.

1.2 Demographics As of 2001, the aggregate literacy level of the entire populace of the Northeast India is 68.5%, with female education level of 61.5%, which is higher than the nation's 64.8% and 53.7%correspondingly. There are varieties in the education level among the various states within Northeast states. Of which, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and

Meghalaya is beneath the national level of literacy rate while Mizoram and Tripura tops the record not just in the north east region but in the whole country. The biggest urban communities as per 2011 are Guwahati, Agartala, Shillong, Aizawl, Imphal, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Jorhat, Dimapur, Darjeeling, Gangtok and Kohima(Wikipedia).

1.3 Languages Northeast India constitutes around 220 dialects. Assamese, an Indo-Aryan dialect generally spoken in the Brahmaputra Valley is accepted as the common language to exchange conversation between people of different North-eastern states. Some elements of the language Assamese have been taken into consideration in the languages of Nagaland that is Nagamese and Arunachal that is Nefamese; however their usage have decreased of late. The Austro-Asiatic family is seen in the Khasi, Jaintia communities and War dialects of Meghalaya. A little number of Tai–kadai dialects (Ahom, Tai Phake, Khamti, and so forth) is also spoken in the Northeast India. Sino-Tibetan dialect is spoken by various communities that vary from every other, some of which are: Bodo, Rabha, Karbi, Mising, Tiwa, Deuri which are spoken in the state of Assam; Garo in Meghalaya; Ao, Tangkhul, Angami, Sema, Lotha, Konyak in Nagaland; Mizo, Hmar, Chakma spoken in Mizoram; Hrusso, Tanee, Nisi, Adi, Abor, Nocte, Apatani, Misimi in Arunachal Pradesh. Manipuri is the main dialect in Manipur, the predominant dialect of the Imphal Valley; while Naga dialects, for example, Mao, Maram and Tangkul, Kuki, Hmar and Paite prevailin Nagaland. Among other Indo-Aryan dialects, Sylheti is used mostly in South Assam in the Barak Valley. Other than the Sino-Tibetan Tripuri dialect, Bengali is majorly spoken in the state of Tripura. Nepali, again an Indo-Aryan language, is predominant in Sikkim, other than the Sino-Tibetan dialects Limbu, Bhutia and Lepcha. (Wikipedia).

1.4 Communities Northeast India has in total 220 ethnic gatherings and equivalent number of vernaculars. The slope states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland are prevalently possessed by tribal individuals with difference in terms of their practices and beliefs even among the tribal community. Other than the indigenous residents, individuals from Tibet, Burma, Thailand, West Bengal and Bangladesh have moved into the district at different times of history. (Wikipedia). 2

Adivasi, Assamese, Bhutia, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Biate, Bodo, Chakma, Chhetri, Dimasa, Garo, Gurung, Hajong, Hmar, Hrankhwl, Jamatia, Karbi, Khasi, Khampti, Koch, Kom, Kuki, Lepcha, Lushai, Meitei, Mishing, Mizo, Naga, Nepali, Noatia, Paite, Pnar, Purvottar Maithili, Rabha, Reang, Singpho, Sylheti, Tamang, Tiwa, Tripuri, Zeme Naga, Chorei and Limbu(Wikipedia) are distinctive ethnic gatherings leaving in theNortheast region of India.

1.5 States of the Northeast 1.5.1 Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh, which means "place that is known as the land of dawn-lit mountains", is otherwise called the Orchid State of India or the Paradise of the Botanists. Geologically, it is the biggest among the North-east Indian states otherwise known as the Seven Sister States. As in different parts of Northeast India, the individuals local to the state follow their sources from the Tibeto-Burman folks. As of late, vast number of transients from different parts of India and remote grounds has been influencing the state's populace. Arunachal Pradesh has the most astounding number of local dialects in South Asia advanced with different society and conventions (Wikipedia).

1.5.2 Assam Extended like a taking off flying creature, Assam is contained with three primary topographical zones: the Brahmaputra Valley, the Barak Valley and the North Cachar Hills. Assam is synonymous with unspoiled regular magnificence, overflowing natural life, impeccable tea cultivates and warm, lovely individuals. It‟s a key area in the northeast of India, and its openness from whatever is left of the nation makes it the passage to the north-eastern states. It imparts fringes to Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal and has National Highways prompting their capital‟s urban communities. Assam additionally imparts worldwide outskirts to Bhutan and Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra Valley is an alluvial plain around 724kms long and 81kms in expansiveness. It is encased on the north by the powerful Himalayas, south by the Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and Naga Hills. The Brahmaputra, the mightiest river of all which flows through this valley guarantees a rich harvest every year. 3

To the south of the valley are the beguiling slopes of Karbi Anglong. Further south are the North Cachar Hills. Spotted here, in the midst of beautiful plantations, is Assam's just slope station, Haflong. The southern piece of Assam is the Barak Valley, which gets its name from the Barak waterway. This district is a fortune trove of untouched regular excellence. Green is the prevalent shade of the state with noteworthy 35% woodland spread and a large number of hectares under tea cultivation. Assam has five national parks including the World Heritage Sites of Kaziranga and Manas, and 20 wildlife havens. The extraordinary Indian one-horned rhinoceros is one of Assam's most acclaimed natives. Supporting the state's bottomless untamed life and tasty vegetation are the rainstorm which extends to late May to September, yet there are discontinuous rains even in the winters. Winters starts in late November and proceeds till February. Winter mornings in many parts of Assam are checked by thick mist giving the area an air of ethereal magnificence. Throughout the hundreds of years, individuals of different ethnic, religious and semantic foundations have been pulled in to the prolific valleys of Assam making it a mosaic of different societies. It is no big surprise then that Assam is said to be similar to a small of the entire nation itself (Assam Tourism).

1.5.3 Manipur Manipur meaning “A jewelled land", is located inside a lavish green corner of the North East India. It appears to be much like a wonderful work of sculpture executed by heavenly hands of Nature, the magnificence of which once stirred Mrs. St. Clair Grimwood and she illustrated it as "A Pretty Place lovelier than numerous show spots of the world" and Late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru paid a fitting tribute by portraying it as "Gem of India". Encompassed by blue slopes with an oval formed valley at the core, rich in craftsmanship and custom and surcharged with nature's perfect marvel. Manipur lies on a blend of society. It is origin of Polo. This is the spot where Rajashree Bhagyachandra made the acclaimed Ras Lila, the established move of Manipur, out of his charming dream by the finesse of Lord Krishna. Her society moves uncover the fanciful idea of making of Manipur (Manipur- Official website of Manipur State).

1.5.4 Meghalaya Cut from the recent State of Assam, Meghalaya turned into an undeniable State on January 21,1972. Limited on the North and East by Assam and on the South and West by Bangladesh, Meghalaya is spread over a zone of 22, 429 square kilometres, and lies between 20.1° N and 26.5° N scope and 85.49 °e and 92.52 °e longitude (Mesmerizing Meghalaya- The Official Website of Meghalaya Tourism). Meghalaya's capital, Shillong furthermore the District Headquarters of East Khasi Hills District is arranged at a height of 1,496 meters above ocean level. The capital city has a supporting atmosphere as the year progresses. This city has been the seat of Government since the union of the British organization in this piece of India more than a century back (Mesmerizing Meghalaya- The Official Website of Meghalaya Tourism). The city is decently associated with motor-able streets everywhere, has its own particular appeal, unique in relation to other slope stations, and presents a regular beautiful excellence with waterfalls, creeks, pine notches and arrangements. The spot, the individuals, the vegetation and the atmosphere all consolidate to make Shillong a perfect resort as the year progresses. Shillong offers conveniences for visitors with great inn facilities, offices for games, calculating, trekking and climbing (Mesmerizing Meghalaya- The Official Website of Meghalaya Tourism). Shillong is associated by the National Highway 40 with whatever is left of the nation through Assam. It is additionally associated by street with other critical towns of the State (Mesmerizing Meghalaya- The Official Website of Meghalaya Tourism). Having a shifted and glad history from the most punctual times, Manipur went under the British Rule as an issue State after the thrashing in the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891. After freedom of India in 1947, the Princely State of Manipur was consolidated in the Indian Union on October 15,1949 and turned into an undeniable State of India on the 21st January, 1972 with a Legislative Assembly of 60 seats of which 20 will be held for Scheduled Tribe and 1 saved for Scheduled Caste. The State is spoken to in the Lok Sabha by two parts and by one part in the Rajya Sabha (Mesmerizing Meghalaya- The Official Website of Meghalaya Tourism).

1.5.5 Mizoram Mizoram is one of the regions of Northeast India, with Aizawl as its capital. The meaning of the name Mizoram is Mi (individuals), Zo (slope) and Ram (area), and hence Mizoram suggests "Land of hill people.” Like few other north-eastern regions of India, Mizoram was at one time a piece of Assam until 1972, when it was cut out as an issue Territory. It turned into the 23rd State of India, a venture above Union Territory, on 20 February 1987 (Wikipedia). Mizoram is considered a very literate agrarian economy, but it still practices jhum(shifting cultivation), and poor yields. However, recently the jhum cultivation practices are insistently being restored with a horticulture and bamboo items industry. The state has around 871 kilometres of national highways, with NH-54 and NH-150 linking it to Assam and Manipur independently. It is likewise a developing travel point for exchange with Myanmar and Bangladesh (Wikipedia).

1.5.6 Nagaland Nagaland is a state in Northeast India. It outskirts the states of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and some regions of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the biggest city is Dimapur. It has a region of 16,579 square kilometres (6,401 sq mi) with a populace of 1,980,602 according to the 2011 Census of India, making it one of the tiniest regions of India (Wikipedia). Nagaland was considered as the 16th State of India on 1 December 1963. Agriculture is the most vital financial occupation and essentially yields rice, corn, millets, beats, tobacco, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes, and fibre. Other major occupations are tourism, forestry and cottage industries (Wikipedia). The state is generally steep with the exception of those territories bordering the Assam valley. Mount Saramati is the most significant tip of this region with a tallness of 3,840 meters and its range acts as an obstruction amidst Nagaland and Burma. It lies between the parallels of 98-degree and 96-degree East Longitude and 26.6-degree and 27.4-degree north of the equator. The state is home to a rich mixture of greenery; it has been proposed as the "falcon capital of the world" (Wikipedia).

1.5.7 Sikkim Sikkim has been given numerous names. The Lepchas, unique occupants of the area called it Nye-mae-el `paradise'. The Limbus named it Su Khim or `new house' while to the Bhutias it was Beymul Demazong `the concealed valley of rice' (Official website of Sikkim tourism). Sikkim shares its outskirt with Nepal in the west and Bhutan in the east, with the Tibetan level climbing from its northern fringe. It was before a Himalayan government and a piece of the mythical Silk Route to China. Its merger with India in 1975 has offered a window to the world to find the fortunes of this shrouded area (Official website of Sikkim tourism). Sikkim's modest size topographically gives a false representation of the significant differing qualities she offers. The state has the steepest climb in height over the briefest separation and has inside its 7,096 sq. kms the whole climatic extent, from tropical to mild to high, presenting on the area an extraordinary regular legacy. Rich and thick woods, flush with blossoms of extraordinary greenery, uneven breadths adorned by Sikkim's two principle waterways, the Teesta and the Rangeet, the pleasant towns, hot springs and waterfalls have a convincing advance (Official website of Sikkim tourism).

1.5.8 Tripura The cause of the name of Tripura is still a matter of discussion among historians and analysts. As per the 'Rajmala", Tripura's commended court narrative, an old ruler named "tripur" controlled over the regional space known as "Tripura" and the name of the kingdom was acquired from his name. Numerous researchers and scholars clarify the name "Tripura" from its etymological source: the saying "Tripura" is a compound of two different words, "tui" (water) + "pra" (near) which in signifies 'near water'. The land area of the state with its abundant water resources of eastern Bengal describes its original dwellers as "Tipra" or "Twipra" clearly explaining the State's name (Tripura Tourism). The State of Tripura, with a land territory of 10,491 sq. kms, is prevalently a bumpy locale. It is encompassed on all sides by deltaic bowl of Bangladesh aside from a little part in North-East which appends Cachar locale of Assam, and Mizoram (Tripura Tourism).

Till this point, the researcher was taking its readers through a tour around the real mesmerizing world of the Northeast India and its varied cultures, languages, and each states and their true picture. However, here begins the picture as seen from the eyes of the national media. With such diversity come a lot more diverse thinking patterns and beliefs resulting in differences in opinions, clashes between two different communities and so on, and in all this the media has a big role to play. In performing this role media has always, somehow or the other missed on bringing one of the most beautiful and colourful regions of India- the Northeast India, into the good light. Northeast India includes the Seven Sister States - Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland, which is often referred to as the “Paradise Unexplored”. The portrayal of this part of India has always been negative and truly unexplored. The true colours have always been shadowed by the depressing news and events. News about developments taking place in the Northeast, generally do not find prominence in Indian broadcast media. It‟s only when dramatic events occur - like the public molestation case, change in power or ethnic violence that the newspaper and television channels come alive. The above mentioned topic, „Northeast and its portrayal in the broadcast media- A picture beyond terrorism and insurgency‟ tries to bring forth the picture of that beautiful lush green scenery in a positive light and diminish the negative aspects. It is an attempt to give a picture of Assam and the other six states beyond terrorism and insurgency. Northeast India is a rich home of natural beauty and magnificence surrounding the seven sister states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and the nearby hilly state of Sikkim. In any case it is a bizarre reality that such an inconceivable region of the nation stays inadequately spoken and noticed in the national cognizance. Much responsibility for performing such an ignoring act lies amidst the national media which lacks in broadcasting news from this area for its national perusers and viewers. Presently there is a distorted understanding of the information and development from the region almost all the time by the news channels or newspaper about the Northeast. We all are well aware that the representation of news and current issues from

8 the area to the national arena has a huge impact on the psyche of the viewers and perusers. The national media is alarmed or somewhat fixated on news of violence and insurgency which comes from this part of India. A glance at some of the periodic clippings of the mainstream media seems to confide to news content within the walls of ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam), NSCN (National Socialist Council of Nagaland), flood, and bomb blasts when it comes to presenting Northeast India to the mainland India. The media makes it look like Northeast is a place only for contents like these. Here is when the question arises isn‟t there any development happening in the Northeast? If there are developments taking place where is the room for such news in any of the news columns be it broadcast or print? Why isn‟t the media, which is thought to be the most effective means of development playing its role effectively, rather placing it in a totally different spot light? Does the Northeast get a fair representation in the broadcast media? There is so much that is happening in the Northeast part of the country apart from bomb-blasts, kidnappings, terrorist activities or any other kind of violence. There is development that can be seen in almost every sphere, be it cinema, music, sports achievements, adventurous achievements, the IT sector, education, health, aviation, and the count is endless, but the media doesn‟t seem to give any kind of importance or show any concern to such news. Be it the world famous singer Bhupen Hazarika making and breaking records on a world level or be it Metallic bands like Hooberstank or Metallica performing in various states of Northeast, in fact Shillong is called the „rock capital‟ of the Northeast or Majuli being the world‟s 26th largest river island and a national heritage or Manish Deka and Tarun Saikia being Assam‟s first successful conquerors of Mt. Everest, a very small percent of people know about the above mentioned events and people. Why are such information and incidents not being shared at a national level? The fact that most people still believe that Cherrapunji is the place which receives the heaviest rainfall, while the true fact is due to global warming a place called Mawsynram near Cherrapunji holds that record. How many of us know who is known as the Forest Man of India? What is his name, the reason behind his identity? Jadav Payeng- planted 1,360 hectares of trees. If we look back to the news stories that the media portrayed about the Kokrajhar case, the entire story was turned over and gave everyone a picture of a civil war; while it 9 actually wasn‟t a civil war but an ethnic clash between the Boros and immigrants of Bangladesh. Why is Northeast still under stigma? Owing to these sets of reasons the researcher has chose this topic- “Northeast and its portrayal in the broadcast media-A picture beyond insurgency and terrorism.”

Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Not much research has been done regarding the style of reporting news by the broadcast media pertaining to Northeast India. However there are various forums and journal article conferring the portrayal of Northeast India by the various mediums. The subeditor of The Echo of India, Kolkata, Amit Sengupta, in his article Northeast India: Through the Prism of the National Media describes Northeast to be an abode of natural beauty. However he questions why such an enormous region of the country is still defectively highlighted in the domain of the nation? To this he tries to respond saying that the national media holds much responsibility which gathers news and information from this part of the country for its national perusers and viewers. He further points out to the distorted representation of the reports and information from the Northeast states by the mainstream media which can be divided into the national dailies - The Hindu, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Asian Age, The Statesman and broadcasting media - NDTV, Times Now, Aaj Tak, Sahara Samay, Star News and CNN- IBN(Sengupta, 2007). Amit Sengupta moreover points out that the platform of news and happenings from this section of the country to the national podium greatly influences the consciousness of the spectators and peruser. This is the spot where the national media falls flat. According to his article the national media is seen to be alarmed or rather concerned with news featuring violence and insurgent activities which radiates from this area. Mostly one can only find news of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and floods in Assam; or bandhs in the different states due to some conflict, etc. National media confines its definition of news coming from the Northeast with only these negative projections of news and happenings. Further in his article, Amit Sengupta gives a picture of the situations of journalists, describing that nearly every national dailies that circulates and the broadcasting channels surprisingly has assigned just a single journalist or reporter to represent the vast region of the Northeast. A few like NDTV however have assigned two journalists unlike their other equivalents. He talks about the biased attitude that the

media throws at this part of the country. It is only sometimes an exceptional case when Tehelka considers conducting the Northeast Summit to discuss policy matters of the region(Sengupta, 2007). In spite of the fact that the national media itself has just a few personalities who are from this region, it can most likely become a little flexible and get rid of its obstinacy and the biased demeanour in the depiction of the locale and make the people of the Northeast feel India as theirs homeland(Sengupta, 2007). In another article, India and its Northeast: A new politics of race by Sanjib Baruah, the aspect of racism comes into existence. Sanjib implies that though race may no longer be accepted as a scientific category, it does not mean that human beings would stop making distinctions based on stereotypical phenotypes or skin colour. Arunachalis, Assamese, Garos, Khasis, Manipuris, Mizos, Nagas and Tripuris may indeed have some phenotypical similarities related to genetics. Thus one hailing from the Northeast part of India is a victim of racism and neglect based on looks, and sometimes skin colour. But the fact is that not only North-easterners have those unique looks but also those from Nepal and Uttaranchal. He further explains the reasons for such negligence. According to him the Indian image of the troubled Northeast is increasingly mediated by a visual regime constructed by popular films, television, pictures in magazines and newspapers, and limited contacts with people from the region. The terms Chinky (oriental) or Chapta (flat nosed) are used to label the dwellers of the north east region in a racial manner many a time not realizing that these words can be offensive or rather derogatory for the listener. The broken relation that the mainland has with the Northeast India can be termed as a cultural, economic, psychological and an emotional gap. The media has not been doing anything to fix this broken bridge between the two. Sanjib Baruah takes the example of Mani Ratnam‟s flim of 1998 Dil Se where the entire film is revolved around portraying Northeast to be the most dangerous place where women are raped and families are destroyed. The fact is people do not understand that films like these or pictures and videos in magazines, newspapers and news channels encourages people to put together the same mental picture about the Northeast region and its people. Another point is that the casting of the heroine of the movie was someone who had small eyes, basically having features that of a North-eastern(Baruah, 2005) Another article, Text, Image and Vision: Media Representation of India's Northeast and Democratic Space by Dhiren Sadokpam focuses on the coverage of India‟s Northeast since independence and its fall between severe under-representation and stereotypical information. The main objective of the study was to explore the nature of 12 media based in Delhi often called as national media for its wider reach and influence in policy matters. It also looks at the media in the Northeast to assess its coverage using some of the techniques adopted to study the media. Dhiren Sadokpam argues that though there has been a rapid expansion of the media in India it does not necessarily lead to wider coverage of the country's marginal or peripheral regions. The news covered by the metro-based media is insufficient compared to the quantum of issues confronting the Northeast region. And the news that are focused and pointed out are the ones related to insurgency and violence. Not only are women under-represented in the media coverage but also in media related professions. The study also highlights some of the issues confronting gender imbalance in the media profession. Dhiren Sadokpam in his article concentrates in all the sectors where north east has been under represented(Sadokpam, 2011). In an article from Public affairs magazine Indigenousherald.com: An initiative by tribal journalists to portray Northeast India – Seven Sister States opens up the treasure house of the Northeast to a variety of perusers, reformers, researchers, historians, anthropologists, cultural activists, travellers, policy makers, intellectuals, business leaders, social scientists, bio-linguistics and host of other enquirers. www.indigenousherald.com is a news and views site with a difference for objectives to project entire range of life in this colourful region(Ali, 2006). In a published interview, Karma Paljor, Business Editor, CNN-IBN answers questions like if the Northeast is off the radar of the Indian mainstream media, is there a visible gap between the so called mainland and the Northeast region. Mr. Karma Paljor points out that there is a tendency to stay with news from New Delhi or any other metropolitan city and the happenings which definitely becomes a big news but sadly many other areas especially the Northeast part is ignored. He further focuses on the how even the regional news agencies should take up the responsibility to focus more on the news and events from this region(Paljor, 2011). Similarly in an article, Northeast Tribals in India: The Hard Truth, by Edelbert Kharsyntiew, gives a strong argument that like the West used the media for centuries, to portray India as a land of fakirs and slums dwellers and more recently the pitiful WCG toilets in Delhi, so also the Indian media portrays the NE, as a region of militancy, and the North-easterners as drug addicts and sluts. It seems it‟s the case of the hurt hurting others. Edelbert in his article talks about idiosyncratic hypocrisy, where the tribals in Northeast

India are suppressed and their growth stunted. The most dangerous form of suppression is mind control(Kharsyntiew, 2012). Paranjoy Bordoloi, in one of his essay, Mass Media in North East India: The Trends of Conflict Reporting, focuses on the aspect that the mainstream media in many cases remembers Northeast India only during times of conflicts, disasters and similar events. He further does a comparison between the different national dailies and news channels to see the number of times there was news about the region and in what context. He cites the example of the Manorama Devi rape case to make the paper much easier to understand his point of view. In the particular case, there was an outrage and protest by the middle aged women of Manipur. One of the most powerful protests from Northeast India, not surprisingly this protest got coverage not only in the national dailies but also in international newspapers and news agencies. This incident shines a spotlight on the importance of media intervention in conflict situations. The violence in Manipur had been ongoing for the last three decades. Human rights organisations along with the other local organisations have been trying to influence national media agencies to increase coverage on this issue. However, only when violence occurred in this event was the issue given coverage. The dominant media structure does not think beyond the existing frameworks for viewing the situation. In the case of Manipur, many of the media agencies did not focus on the importance of past history and the indigenous demographic profile of the state. Paranjoy Bordoloi sums up the article by quoting Professor Joytirindra Dasgupta that as he has rightly pointed out that the narrow media outlook is responsible for a substantial misunderstanding of political processes in the Northeast. He further discusses how giving out extensive coverage to the conflicts has created a sense of trauma in the society, giving solutions to which he suggests that coverage of ethnic conflicts in the Assam region could be greatly improved if media agencies used local journalists from both ethnic groups in any conflict. This approach might become one model to change the existing framework of media coverage so that it actually contributes to peace and development in Northeast India. But for this, media at all levels has to change its practices in covering conflicts(Bordoloi, 2014). In her article, Coverage of the North East Declines, Indira Akoijam, focuses on the fact that the North-eastern part of the country has become a more mainstream region of coverage in the Indian media after events like the N-E exodus and the Guwahati molestation case. However, it is seen that the national media continued to maintain its indifference in coverage of the region. Indira Akoijam did a comparison of the coverage of 14 the region over a month in 2012 and 2013 and takes a notice of a decrease in coverage by 31 per cent. She further talks about how stories that were covered in national dailies were only briefs: full-fledged stories from the eight states find very little space in newspapers. She points out that the coverage by the national media remains stereotypical with issues of conflict and underdevelopment mostly making it to the mainstream papers. However, the study showed that it was not conflict stories alone that were reported but crime was prominently covered in the newspapers. Other issues that were also covered include politics, insurgency, accidents and law and order(Akoijam, 2013). In the thesis paper, Coverage of Northeast India in the Indian Mainstream Media: A Study of the Perception of Northeast Indians Living in Bangalore by Pooja Basnett focuses on the communication gap about the Northeast public in the mainstream or the national media. She further talks about the time and space that Northeast India gets in the mainstream media with a perspective of the Northeast Indians that they are not given adequate space and time by the Indian mainstream media and they are covered mainly during insurgencies thereby giving a wrong image of their region. Northeast Indians are also using alternative media options like social networking sites and blogs to reach out to the masses in the absence of mainstream media interest. It has also been found that Northeast Indians feel that fellow Indians do not know much about them and their region and they are treated as foreigners in their own country(Basnett, 2010).

Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY

Methodology is the method used to a field of study. It covers the conceptions such as paradigm, theoretical model, phases and quantitative or qualitative techniques etc. It provides a theoretical background for understanding the practicality and the methods and concepts to be used in a study or research. Northeast India is a rich home of natural beauty and magnificence surrounding the seven sister states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and the nearby hilly state of Sikkim. But it is a strange fact that such a vast territory of the country remains poorly represented in the national consciousness. Much responsibility for performing such an ignoring act lies amidst the national media which lacks in broadcasting news from this area for its national perusers and viewers. There is a distorted understanding of the information and development from the region almost all the time by the news channels or newspaper about the Northeast. We all are well aware that the representation of news and current issues from the area to the national arena has a huge impact on the psyche of the viewers and perusers. The above mentioned topic, „Northeast and its portrayal in the broadcast media- A picture beyond terrorism and insurgency‟ tries to bring forth the picture of the beautiful lush green scenery in a positive light and diminish the negative aspects. It is an attempt to give a picture of Assam and the other six states beyond terrorism and insurgency. The researcher tries to study why there are only negative aspects shown most of the time about the Northeast India despite of the various positive developments happening in this region. Why is the broadcast media concerned and concentrates on this region only when this place is struck with a bomb blast, or floods or any other insurgent activities? To get a greater and clearer perspective on these questions, the researcher aims at doing a more in-depth study using the methods of both qualitative and quantitative methods:

•Qualitative method includes: a content analysis of two mainstream news channels •Quantitative method includes: a survey method, with questionnaire as a tool In the content analysis the researcher will take two mainstream news channels and do a content analysis of the same. The analysis would include the type of news both these channels broadcast related to the Northeast region of India - whether the news content are that of only the negative scenario or do they also include positive happenings of the region? Are the news that are being shown are political or does it includes an overall picture? And lastly, an analysis of the maximum number of times these two news channels broadcasted the news from this region in a week and the attitude of the news - is it objective or subjective. The questionnaires will be based in Bangalore, which will include respondents from Bangalore and outside Bangalore. This will be done in order to get a widespread variety of responses and a wider perspective about the same. The questionnaire will give out both open-ended and close-ended questions. The purpose of presenting a blend of both the types of questions is that, through the open-ended questions the respondents will have the liberty to answer more honestly and elaborately making their statements. Since, open-ended questions give more freedom to the respondents to answer in detail it provides a platform to have a more in-depth study. However, the researcher will also give out close-ended questions where the respondent will have to select an option from the given choices. Here the respondents will be given to rate their view from a rating scale which will give the researcher an idea about the respondent‟s preferences and attitude towards a particular question and the given options to choose from the list. The sample size of the questionnaire will be 100, with an age group of 18 years – 35 years. The reason being, this age group falls under the youth category and the population of India today is more youth centric. Today‟s youth has also proved to be the active participants and decision makers of the country, for example the recent elections and other viral campaigns. Therefore, getting views and perspectives from this age group makes it more appropriate and relevant. The content analysis will be carried out over a period of 90 days starting from July 2014 to September 2014. The questionnaire will be divided into different parts to make it easier for the respondents: Firstly, the questionnaire will include a section where every respondent will have to fill in their personal details like name, age, gender, occupation and contact details.

These details will help the researcher to be fixed with the decided age group and also contact them if required in later stages. Secondly, there will be questions at the beginning of the questionnaire that will give an introduction to the topic and also make it comfortable for the respondents to answer the further questions. In the latter sections there will be deeper and topic specific questions. This will include questions like how many gives attention to the news that broadcasts news about the Northeast region, what do they think about the Northeast in general and similar such questions. The researcher is focusing on quantitative and qualitative methods to carry out the study as the combination of both methods would result in a greater scope of understanding for the topic. To substantiate and understand her study, the researcher has used the below mentioned two theories: i. Media dependency theory, and ii. Agenda setting theory Media dependency theory is where reality is often different than what is represented. Whatever is covered by the broadcast media is making people depended on the media, following the media dependency theory but again at the same time there is a lack of media coverage arising from this situation of no media dependence. Today people from all over the country has become so conditional to the news and information given and shown in the broadcast media with a lot of sound and visual effects making it look like the reality that somewhere the genuineness of the news is lost. People believe what they see and hear on the television thus forming a perception about the same. In situations like this the role of broadcast media is enormous in many ways. It is responsible for creating opinions among the public, whether to like certain things or dislike the same, and much more than this. Broadcast media has proved itself to be one of the most powerful tools for dissemination of information among the public. In case of the Northeast, we face the same issue. The portrayal of the entire region by the broadcast media has been such that they have conditioned the people to think and see this region in a particular way. Agenda setting is the second theory that the researcher has used. This is where the broadcast media has screened out, neglected and avoided the concerns and happenings of the North-eastern states of India. Their agenda is to focus on stories which are prominent 18 of cosmopolitan or metropolitan cities ignoring the other areas. They focus on areas like Northeast only during the times of insurgency, terrorist activities, flood and other natural calamities, precisely depicting only the negative aspects of the region. The visibility factor comes into consideration during such screening of events. With such depiction the broadcast media not only creates fear among people regarding these regions but also creates a negative impact on the audience about the people and the region. This kind of biased transmission of news and information involves a lot of politics and planning to outline regions like the Northeast part of India.

Chapter 4 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

The researcher did a content analysis on the mainstream news channels CNN-IBN and NDTV for a period of 90 days from July 2014 to September 2014 to observe the news concerning the Northeast (N.E.) region of India being broadcasted in these channels. The researcher also observed the content of news that is if the news broadcasted is positive or negative; the type of news that is which segment does the news shown revolves around - political, social, developmental, health, educational, crime or insurgency problems and lastly the duration of news broadcasted in these channel that is how long does each news is being telecasted.

4.1 CNN-IBN During the period of study the first news that appeared was on 5th of July with headlines that spoke about how a man is abducted in the Garo Hills every other day. This was a direct slap on the face of the people of Northeast as such a negative picture can arise a lot of questions in terms of security of the people who comes to visit this region either for a vacation or to study or any other work. Next was the news that appeared on July 15th that talked about how Extremists were lynched by the public in the East Garo Hills. This kind of news just shows how there is only killing and other such crimes happening in this region. 16th of July saw yet another negative news about the Northeast region, and this time the focus was on the violence that grumbled the Government since the students of the government college protested against fee hike. On the 17th July there was political news about the split of the Assam Congress. This news was broadcasted for 39 seconds. The news was of course negative and it was in a much summarized content that just gave a gist of what has been happening with the Assam Congress and its rebel MLAs. On July 21st the news channel broadcasted the continuation of the previous news. This time the news was lengthy purely focusing on both the sides with elaborate

description of what the actual happening is all about. The duration of the news piece was one minute thirty - nine seconds. On the same day there was another political news about the resignation of Assam Health Minister Dr.Himant Biswa Sarma and 31 other Congress MLAs. The reason came about after Rahul Gandhi, Congress Vice President extended his support to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. The words used by the news perusers were – „Political Crisis of Assam has deepen.‟ This particular news ran for five long minutes and the visuals that were shown were constantly repeated creating a kind of impression on the ongoing. The next news that broadcasted about the Northeast India was on the 29th of July. This was about the celebration of Eid in the Assam Relief Camp. This news bought in the issue of the suspected Boro militants who killed nearly 40 villagers. This news seemed to be both political and about the insurgent activities that goes on in the region. This particular news ran for 1 minute 48 seconds. The nature of the news was very subjective and way too negative. The visuals that were shown were that of displaced and devastated villagers that included more of women and small children. There were interviews taken of some of the people at the relief camp. The visuals of crying women and children instantly trigger the emotional button of the people thus making the news more sad and pessimistic. On 4th of August there was developmental news that was shown and it was about the new financial schemes for differently-abled students in Sikkim. This was the first positive news that the researcher came across on this particular channel. But this kind of positive news did not follow for a long time, the next news item that was seen was on the 18th of August and it was about the flood scenario in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Again on 19th of August there was news about the Iron Lady of Manipur – Irom Sharmila when the court granted her release and clearing the air saying there was no attempt of suicide by her. The headline sounded positive and the news was broadcasted for two minutes twenty - three seconds. Now, if this kind of news is shown to the mass with a little history of the event there is a sense of positivity that evolves in the minds of the people. As everybody is well aware that Irom has for last fifteen years been fasting as a sign of protest against the repeal of the Arm Forces Special Power Act in Manipur. She has been fighting for the justice of all who were targeted by the Army under this act. Such news can put Northeast into a positive light. And more of such news can instil positivity among the mass for this region. There were three news items that were broadcasted from the Northeast, two of them were political and the third one was about social. The political 21 news were about the turmoil that started because of the Assam - Nagaland border and the social was about Irom Sharmila again. Once again the role of media in portraying this particular region was limited and biased because media has always been focusing on the news similar to disputes, militant activity, etc. However the news about Irom Sharmila was a positive one, though the tone was very subjective. The exclusive coverage of Irom Sharmila was the news that ran for as long as eighteen minutes fifty five seconds, however all the other news was broadcasted for about maximum up to three minutes. Next there were six news items on 21st August out of which four were related to Assam -Nagaland border turmoil. Some of which had the news of the Government responsible for the unfortunate events to occur and some blame games being played. Again on the 22nd of August there was news on the killing of two terrorist by the Army in the Garo Hills. The last news for the month was on the 31st of August with no different news but again killing of two people during the protest against imposition of Section 144 in police firing. There was a number of news on the Northeast region in the month of September. However, the distressing part of these news items was that most of them were again focusing on the negativity of the region. The first news that appeared was on the 9th of September. This piece of news was aimed at the development of the region of Arunachal Pradesh. The news that followed was about how the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh is focusing on the need to create new, advanced and better technological institutions in the mentioned state. The researcher was overwhelmed reading the first positive news of the month and she anticipated that the news that will follow later that month would be positive. She was pleased to see that even the second news item on the 12th of September was a positive one and again that of a developmental nature. This news was about setting up of a panel to investigate the working conditions in the tea gardens of Assam. However, it didn‟t take much time for disappointment to seep in. The third news of the month emerged on the 13th of September; it was about fake papers used to buy 248 SIM cards. This may look like a small news compared to the other ones but such small yet negative news about this region just gets people to think of how such small forgery and fraud might lead to bigger issues like terrorism and other such crimes.

14th September saw three news items from the Northeast region, and all three news revolved around crime. The first news was of gang rape whereas the second was that of blast and killing of a tea trader and the third news was about suicide committed by an IIT Guwahati student. All the three news carried out on the same day were negative and it seemed like there was no breathing space for this region at all with all the curious questions asked by the people around the about the negativity of the northeast region. 15th September saw a developmental news from the state of Arunachal and Sikkim. This news talked about the 4.75 crore power transmission project for the above mentioned states. 17th of September saw yet another optimistic news and this time it was about the Peace Pact to be signed by the Garo militants, the Centre and the Meghalaya Government. 20th of September gave out two news from the region and unfortunately both of them were depressing. While one was about the prediction of a world terrorist group attempting to attack Assam; the other was about the controversial Saradha Scam and the involvement of former DGP of Assam. This kind of news not just gives out a wrong image of the region but also gives a very narrow and stereotypical notion about how unsafe the northeast region, now even from the angle of world terrorist groups. Now, on the 21st September there was news about how People‟s Party of Arunachal Pradesh had criticized the Government in power for not including the Northeast states during the visit of the Chinese President. This shows how ignorant the Centre has been regarding this part of India. Even though the news coverage from 22nd September to 26th September had news about the northeast India but it was shocking to see how all the news that appeared on the above mentioned days focused only on the issue of flood. However, on 23rd of September, there was also an educational news that appeared, and this was about the initiative taken by the Government of Assam to take the meritorious students on a twelve day tour to NASA. This news was quite encouraging and showed a very different picture of the education system of the region. Again on 25th, 26th, 27th and 29th of September saw the news about floods in the Assam and Meghalaya region of the Northeast. The news that were broadcasted during the mentioned dates gave the statistics on how many deaths occurred by the flood. On 28th September however, there was a news on the inner line permit that Arunachal Pradesh planned to lay for the passengers of Rajdhani.

The last news for the month of September in CNN-IBN was closed by yet another pessimistic news of the rise of death due to the floods in Assam and Meghalaya. Most of the news throughout the month of July, August and September during the study had news only related to either politics or the border dispute of Assam and Nagaland, news on natural disasters like flood, crimes like suicide and gang rape, other criminal activities like bomb blasts, etc. An extensive coverage of these events once again shows how the broadcast media focuses only in the disrupted issues around the Northeast region. However, there were a couple of developmental and educational news that came up as well, but if we see a small amount of positive news cannot diminish the already weaved idea about the Northeast region of India. There could have been many more developmental projects, educational news or events happening at the same time that these unfortunate events had occurred but media chose to focus overtly only on the negative news.

4.2 NDTV While analysing the content of news broadcasted by NDTV pertaining to Northeast region of India, a similar picture was seen regarding this channel too. Like CNN-IBN, NDTV also focused heavily on the issues of militants and Assam - Nagaland border dispute and also the after-effects of the elections on the Assam Congress. Interviews of people who were devastated during the Boro-Muslim clash were seen in this Channel also. This kind of news triggers the emotional sense of people and also leaves a deep impact on their minds. Whatever the media focuses on more, the mass tends to believe that and creates a perception accordingly. The media like always has a big role to play in such situations. If they could fill the minds of people with negative portrayal they can also make an effort to change this perception to something more positive. While doing the content analysis the researcher observed that mainstream news channels like the CNN-IBN and NDTV talk about or focuses on the Northeast region of India only when there is some kind of turmoil and all the other times it is silent over the place. The first news that appeared on this channel was on 14th of July about the curfew in Assam‟s Baksa District, after the bodies of the people who were kidnapped by the Bodo Militants were found. This news was the first news that came from the northeast 24 region in the month of July, and a start like this can never give any chance to the people to even think in a positive light about this place. Rather than showing negative news about this region in the beginning of the month, news channels should have considered showing some optimistic news. Again, on 21st July, there was news about a man from the Northeast who was killed in Delhi in a road rage. This news shows how much an individual from this part of the region is racially discriminated and harassed because of how he or she looks and from where they belong. Delhi is perhaps known as the city where racial discrimination on the people from Northeast is common and now rising like a wild fire. Every other day there will be a story on how a person, especially a student is harassed and racially discriminated by calling out derogatory and offensive terms. July saw just two main news items from this region. However, in the month of August there were a couple of more news. The first news in August was on 4th of the month. This was the only news before the Independence Day and that is why there was a special broadcast of the dedicated women flag makers from Assam who doesn‟t see religion, caste and creed, they consider their work as sacred and have been in this business since 1980s. This news kind of gave a good light in terms of hard working, secular thinking people from Assam. On 17th of August, media however came back to square one when they flashed out the Assam- Nagaland border dispute. This news focused majorly on how people have become homeless. Again, on 18th August there was news that flashed about how a mob heckled the Chief Minister of Assam and had to be rescued by security personals. This kind of news simply gives out ideas to the mass that even the Chief Minister of a state is not safe on the grounds of the northeast region. This is really saddening because this is not true rather it is purely an idea constructed by the media and have influenced the minds of the people at large. August 20th and 21st had totally four news, out of which three were of the Assam - Nagaland border dispute, ethnic clashes among the people of the two states and increase of violence day by day. On the contrary there was one news on 21st August that was about Irom Sharmila, continuing her hunger strike. On 24th August, there was news that had a headline that said- Another “Punishment Posting” that was regarding the transfer of the Maharashtra Governor to 25

Mizoram. The point here is why was the term “Punishment Posting” used in the first place? Was it something to do with regional bias? The explanation that the reporter gives is because it is too far away and the Governor has to shift from Maharashtra to far east to the state of Mizoram. Being an Indian, especially when one is in a government service isn‟t it the duty of ours to serve the country despite any discrimination or negligence? This was not it, the Governor refused to take the transfer and so he resigned. This kind of act by a high ranking government official is not acceptable. This shows how ignorant he is about this particular region. In fact, the Minister of Home - Kiren Rijiju on a news on August 30th said that the Governor should apologise to the nation. If a political leader has this kind of an attitude towards a certain state or region of the same country, people looking at them will practically get influenced. This is where the role of media seeps in where the media talks and portrays a region in positive light; however this is not seen in the case of Northeast region of India. The media as well as the public has always been ignorant about this side of the map of India. News on August 26th, 28th and 31st talks about the flood scenario in Assam and how life here is affected. Though the Centre has supposedly given aid but there seemed to have minimal changes done. In the month of September the first news that came up was on the 2nd of the month and it was about human trafficking where 40 children were rescued from a Mumbai fish canning factory by a local NGO. Such negative news in the beginning of the month moulds the thought process of the public towards a negative path. They automatically avoid watching news from the northeast part of the country as they already have a previously built perception about the type of news that follows from this particular region. The next news item was again a negative news on crime from the region. This time it was about two schoolgirls who were found hanging from the same rope on a tree in the state of Assam, which threw hazy light of it to be a murder or a rape case. Though the news channels broadcast positive news about the region but the equation of negative news over positive is way too high. This kind of continuous showcase of negative news does not at all serve the purpose of bringing the northeast region into good light. There is always a preconceived notion about this region in the minds of the people and people are happy to live with this understanding in their minds. After that the channel broadcasted the next news on the 11th of September. Once again it was about strikes, and this time the northeast state of Manipur was targeted. 26

One thing that is not being understood is why news channels have only negative news to introduce the states of the Northeast. There are so many optimistic events happening in this region pertaining to its vibrant culture, ethnicity, developmental projects, educational events, but news channels always choose to showcase this region into a very filthy, disturbed region of India. On the 24th September there was a news on the social cause of how there are thoughts coming in to fight hunger and reconstructing homes, for the flood hit people of Assam and Meghalaya. On the 25th September was the last news of the month and it was a civic news on cleanliness, where the news declared Sikkim as the first state in India to achieve 100% sanitation, with 1 lakh toilets constructed by the people of Sikkim Government. These two last news items were the positive news about the northeast region after a very long stretch. There was a period when there was no news telecasted about the Northeast. This is because there were no unfortunate events that had occurred during this time. Unless there was any kind of political and a little hard news there was no sign of news item from this part of the country. At times like this is when the credibility and the authenticity of media are questioned. This is when the ethics and morality of news comes in, questions like how right is it to showcase a place or region in this kind of light all the time? Isn‟t it the duty of a news channel to do their best to balance out the news in terms of both negative and positive news about any issue or situation in any region? 4.3 The researcher has also conducted a survey with questionnaire as a tool with 100 samples and 20 questions having both close-ended and open-ended questions. There were a total of 16 close-ended and 4 open-ended questions put across to the respondents. The survey was done to get a broader and deeper understanding of the research.

4.3.1 Close- ended Questions 1. Do you watch news channels? Table 1: Table showing the number of people who watch news channels

Responses Percentage Yes 75% No 1% Sometimes 25%

Sometimes 25%

No 1%

Yes 75%

Figure 1: Chart showing the number of people who watch news channels

The outcome of the survey was that 75% respondents said that watch news channels, while 25% said they watch news sometimes and the remaining 1% gave a negative response.

2. How many hours a day do you watch news?

Table 2: Table showing the number of hours a day people watch news

Hours Percentage Less than 1 hour 65% 1-2 hours 32%

More than 2 hours 3%

1-2 hours 32%

Less than 1 hour 65%

Figure 2: Chart showing the number of hours a day people watches news

Similarly, 65% responded that they watch news for less than one hour; while 32% said they watch news for one- two hours and the remaining 3% chose the option more than 2 hours.

3. What time in the day do you generally watch news?

Table 3: Table showing the time of the day people watches news

Time of the day Percentage

Morning 23%

Evening 78%

Morning 23%

Evening 78%

Figure 3: Chart showing the time of the day people watches news

As many as 83% said they watch news in the evening; while 23% responded as morning as the hour when they watch news.

4. Which of the following news channels do you frequently watch?

Table 4: Table showing the most frequently watched news channels

Channels Percentage

NDTV 30%

CNN-IBN 23%

Times Now 23%

Aaj Tak 7%

Headlines 9%

Zee News 1%

Others 7%

Zee News Headlines 1% today 9% Others 7% NDTV Aaj Tak 30% 7%

Times now 23% CNN-IBN 23%

Figure 4: Chart showing the most frequently watched news channels

Among the various given news channels as options, NDTV, Times Now and CNN-IBN seemed to be the most popular and preferred news channels among the respondents with 30%, 23% and 23% respectively.

5. What kind of news do you prefer?

Table 5: Table showing the type of news people prefers

Kind of news Percentage

Hard 9%

Soft 4%

Both 88%

Soft Hard 4% 9%

Both 88%

Figure 5: Chart showing the type of news people prefers

88% of the respondents prefer to watch both hard news and soft news, while 9% prefers hard news and 4% chose soft news as their choice.

6. Do you think news channels are always unbiased towards the content they broadcast? Table 6: Table showing people's view on the content of the news channels

Responses Percentage Yes, news channels show true stories. Otherwise their integrity will reduce 7%

No, they are always biased towards a particular region or news 26%

Sometimes it is biased 67%

Yes 7%

No 26%

Sometimes 67%

Figure 6: Chart showing people's view on the content of the news channels

According to 67% respondents, news channels are „Sometimes‟ biased towards the content they broadcast , though 26% feels news channels are „Always‟ biased towards a particular region or news and a small number of 7% feels news channels show true stories as their integrity will be questioned.

7. Do you think news today has lost its credibility, which includes repeated broadcast of the same time and again?

Table 7: Table showing if people think news channels today have lost its credibility

Responses Percentage

Yes 94%

No 2%

Sometimes 4%

Sometimes No 4% 2%

Yes 94%

Figure 7: Chart showing if people think news channels today have lost its credibility

When posted the question whether news channels today have lost its credibility in terms of repeated broadcast of the same news, 94% responded positively, whereas 4% thinks it does sometimes, however 2% respondents think it has not lost its credibility.

8. Does news content today heavily depends on the TRP ratings?

Table 8: Table showing if people think there is an influence of TRP ratings in news content

Responses Percentage

Yes 96%

No 5%

Yes 96% Figure 8: Chart showing if people think there is an influence of TRP ratings in news content

When posed the question about the dependence of news content on the TRP ratings, as many as 96% gave a positive response that news channels and its content heavily depends on the TRP ratings. The rest 5% answered negatively.

9. What do you think about the type of news inclusivity from the Northeast region of India?

Table 9: Table showing the kind of news inclusivity from the northeast region of India

Type of news Percentage

Totally bias 28%

Not bias 5%

Depends on the popularity of 66% the news item

Totally bias 28%

Depends on the popularity Not bias of the news 5% 66%

Figure 9: Chart showing the kind of news inclusivity from the northeast region of India

Further, in the survey it was seen that 66% respondents feel that the matter of biased or unbiased news depends on the popularity of the news item. Whereas, 28% respondents think news inclusivity from the Northeast region of India is totally biased and a mere 5% thinks it is not biased.

10. The issue of the Northeast region of India needs bigger space and different perspective for the viewers to view from.

Table 10: Table showing people's view on if Northeast region of India needs a bigger space

Responses Percentage

Agree 94%

Disagree 2%

Other 4%

Others 4% Disagree 2%

Agree 94%

Figure 10: Chart showing people's view on if Northeast region of India needs a bigger space

Also, when asked if the issue of the Northeast region needs bigger space and a different perspective for the viewers to view from, 94% responded positively and agreed to this statement, however, a small amount of respondent disagreed and had a different opinion, i.e., 2% and 4% respectively.

11. Media creates a perception of good and bad in the minds of the public. If media does the same in giving out a good perspective about the Northeast, do you think the image of the distorted Northeast will turn into the real image that it is?

Table 11: Table showing if media can change the distorted image of the Northeast India

Responses Percentage

Definitely, media works in the minds of the people. 84%

No, the perception about the Northeast India is already weaved in the minds of the people by the media; 15% it is too late to change it.

Other 2%

Other 2% No 15%

Definitely 84%

Figure 11: Chart showing if media can change the distorted image of the Northeast India

84% of the people think media definitely works in the minds of people and media can change the distorted picture of the Northeast region of India into the real image that it

38 is. However, 15% of them think the perception about the Northeast India is already weaved in the minds of people by the media and it is too late to change it.

12. Does news from the Northeast region of India interests you?

Table 12: Table showing the interest of people on the news from the Northeast region

Responses Percentage

Yes 59%

Never 4%

Sometimes 38%

Yes 59%

Never 4%

Figure 12: Chart showing the interest of people on the news from the Northeast region

It was also seen that as many as 59% of people are interested in the news from the Northeast region, however, 38% people also said they are „Sometimes‟ interested when there is something important. 4% of the people still believe that news channels never come up with something interesting about this region.

13. When a topic gets discussed in the discussion panel do you think it gains a momentum?

Table 13: Table showing if people think that discussion panels raises the momentum of a topic discussed

Responses Percentage

Yes 88%

No 11%

Yes 88%

Figure 13: Chart showing if people think that discussion panel raises the momentum of a topic discussed

It was noticed that 88% of people agreed that if a topic gets discussed in a discussion panel, it gains momentum; on the other hand 11% of the respondents chose the negative option as their answer.

14. Do you watch discussion panel/ programmes?

Table 14: Table showing if people watch discussion panel/ programmes

Responses Percentage

Yes 85%

No 15%

Yes 85%

Figure 14: Chart showing if people watch discussion panel/ programmes

Also as many as 85% people do watch discussion panels or programmes, whereas 15% said they do not watch discussion panels.

15. Have you come across any topic being discussion with regards to the Northeast region?

Table 15: Table showing if people had come across any topic regarding the Northeast region being discussed in discussion panels

Responses Percentage

Yes 37%

No 62%

Yes 37%

No 62%

Figure 15: Chart showing if people had come across any topic regarding the Northeast region being discussed in discussion panels

Though when asked if they have ever come across any topic regarding the Northeast region being discussed 62% people said „No‟ and just 37% gave a positive answer.

16. Do you think if any topics related to Northeast if made a part of discussion panels people will get more introduction to know about the region?

Table 16: Table showing discussion panels can give more introduction to the Northeast region of India

Responses Percentage

Yes 95%

No 5%

Yes 95%

Figure 16: Chart showing discussion panels can give more introduction to the Northeast region of India

Lastly, when asked, if any topic related to the Northeast region is made a part of a discussion panel will it get more introduction to know about the region, as many as 95% agreed with the above statement, while a mere 5% disagrees. This shows how people still have a believe that the distorted name of the Northeast region can be reconstructed in the minds of the people or viewers.

4.2.2 Open-ended Questions All the responses for the question what should the media do to give the world the real picture of the Northeast, focussed mainly on airing positive news about north east region. Most of the respondents suggested that media should focus on and cover news related to people, art, culture, talent, success stories, sports and famous personalities from the northeast region. It should also touch upon opportunity related news pertaining to tourism, hospitality industry, real estate and education. One of the most valid and interesting observation was many respondents have spoken that the priority of all media channels should be to treat the Northeast region as part of the country and not as a place outside India. Certain that there are issues of insurgency and terrorism in the region but that does not summarise the real picture of north-east. Hence, news from north-east should be an all-inclusive news broadcast. The second open ended question that was put forward to the respondents was if they agreed that media has the power to influence peoples mind and if that majorly affected the way the world sees the Northeast region of India, of the total responses a major section of 71 % agreed that the way news is presented can change the impact it creates on the public. A minimum of 30 % responded otherwise and the responses mainly depicted unsure responses like don‟t know and no comments. Majority of respondents felt that due to lack of time and busy schedules, people do not get enough time to delve into any matter. Hence, they believe what they see. So if the news channels keep flashing negative news about north-east region of India then more often not the perception in public‟s mind will be that of „north-east region- a troubled region‟. But if news channels bring in positive news from this part of the country then there is all probability of building positive perception among public. Of the total responses for the third open-ended question that is if the respondents have tried to study or know about the real picture of the Northeast India, 33% said that they have not tried knowing and studying about the real picture of the Northeast India. But the remaining 68% responded positive and tried knowing and studying about the real picture of the Northeast India mainly from tourism and culture perspective. Among these respondents familiarity of Northeast region through their friends and associates plus inquisitiveness to know various cultures surfaced as a common thread. The last open- ended question that was posed in front of the respondents was if they have come across any recent news or events that happened in the Northeast region through the news channels, to which, 15% said that they have not come across any recent 44 event/s that happened in the Northeast through the news channels. Among the remaining 86% who said that they have come across news from the Northeast region mainly centred around floods, insurgency, border dispute, Irom Sharmila and attacks on Northeast residents in other states.

4.2.3 Findings  Qualitative and Quantitative methods The researcher has done an in-depth research on her chosen topic. As discussed earlier the researcher has included both Qualitative and Quantitative methods in order to make her study more extensive and practical. She chose content analysis and survey as the two methods under qualitative and quantitative respectively. She took two of the most popular news channels i.e., NDTV and CNN-IBN for analysing the content of the kind of news broadcasted about the Northeast region of India and used questionnaire as the tool to perform the survey among the age group of 18-35. Most of the news during the course of the study i.e., from the month of July 2014 to September 2014 had news from the Northeast region only when there was a mishap in the region. Be it in the form of crimes like suicide and gang rape and other criminal activities like bomb blasts, etc, floods, terrorist activities, political and social disputes or regional and ethnic dispute; the region was highlighted and was on focus only during such events. An extensive coverage of such events once again shows how the broadcast media focuses only in the disrupted issues around the Northeast region. However, there were a couple of developmental and educational news that came up as well. But if we see a small amount of positive news cannot diminish the already weaved idea about the Northeast region of India. There could have been many more developmental projects, educational news or events happening at the same time that these unfortunate events had occurred but media chose to focus overtly only on the negative news. There was a period when there was no news telecasted about the Northeast this is because there was no such unfortunate events that had occurred during this time. Unless there was any kind of political and a little hard news there was no sign of news item from this part of the country. This kind of negative portrayal of this region by the media has over the years weaved a certain kind of negative perspective about this place in the minds of people. 45

While conducting the survey, the responses that the researcher acquired were of a varied nature. It was found that most people watch news less than an hour and evening being the most preferred time to watch news. Moreover, NDTV is the most watched news channel among the surveyed group. Most people prefer both soft and hard news and they think that news channels are sometimes biased. However, most of them agree that news channels today have lost its credibility in terms of repeat broadcast of the same news item. Respondents do agree that news channels have emerged as business today and they are all about TRP. Though a huge number believes that media is sometimes biased nevertheless they also believe that a news being biased or unbiased depends on the popularity of the news. They also agree that Northeast needs a bigger space and a different perspective to be viewed from to change the rooted perception of the mass. Most importantly, a huge fraction of respondent agrees that news channels can and have the ability to change the distorted image of the Northeast. A huge number seemed to be interested in the news items coming in from this region. And they also believe that a topic does get a lot of momentum if discussed in a discussion panel. The surveyed group is interested and they do watch discussion panels during news hour. However, a huge percentage of people said, they have never come across any topic about Northeast being discussed in any discussion panel. Many people agrees that if a topic about the Northeast is discussed in any of the discussion panels it will gain people‟s attention and give them more introduction to know about the region, or probably to change their perception towards this region. One of the observations was that many respondents have replied that one of the priorities of all news channels should be treating the Northeast region as a part of the country and not as a place outside the country. It is certain that there are issues of insurgency and terrorism in the region but that does not summaries the real picture of north-east. Hence, news from north-east should be an all-inclusive news broadcast. Majority of respondents felt that due to lack of time and busy schedules, people do not get enough time to look into any matter. Hence, they believe what they see. So if the news channels keep flashing negative news about the North-east region of India then more often not the perception in public‟s mind will be that of „north-east region- a troubled region‟. But if news channels bring in positive news from this part of the country then there is all probability of building positive perception among public. 46

It was unexpected to observe that a lot of people tried knowing and studying about the real picture of the Northeast India mainly from tourism and culture perspective. Among these respondents familiarity of Northeast region was through their friends and associates plus inquisitiveness to know various cultures surfaced as a common thread. A large percentage said they have come across news from the Northeast region mainly centred around floods, insurgency, border dispute, Irom Sharmila and attacks on Northeast residents in other states. This kind of news gave them a very negative perspective about the region. More than anything people have started fearing to travel to this part of the country and in any case tag it to be an outside country or a troubled region.

4.2.4Theories of Media The researcher has used the two theories: the media dependency theory and the agenda setting theory to substantiate and understand her study.  Media Dependency Theory Media dependency is where reality is often different than what is represented. Whatever is covered by the broadcast media is making people depended on the media, following the media dependency theory but again at the same time there is a lack of media coverage arising from this situation of no media dependence. Today people from all over the country has become so conditional to the news and information given and shown in the broadcast media with a lot of sound and visual effects making it look like the reality that somewhere the genuineness of the news is lost. People believe what they see and hear on the television thus forming a perception about the same. In situations like this the role of broadcast media is enormous in many ways, it is responsible for creating opinions among the public, whether to like certain things or dislike the same, and much more than this. Broadcast media has proved itself to be one of the most powerful tools for dissemination of information among the public. In the case of the Northeast, we face the same issue. The portrayal of the entire region by the broadcast media has been such that they have conditioned the people to think and see this region in a particular way.  Agenda Setting Theory Agenda setting is the second theory that the researcher has used. This is where the broadcast media has screened out, neglected and avoided the concerns and happenings of the North-eastern states of India. Their agenda is to focus on stories which are prominent

47 of cosmopolitan or metropolitan cities ignoring the other areas. They focus on areas like the Northeast part only during the times of insurgency, terrorist activities, flood and other natural calamities, precisely depicting only the negative aspects of the region. The visibility factor comes into consideration during such screening of events. With such depiction the broadcast media not only creates fear among people regarding these regions but also creates a negative impact on the audience about the people and the region. This kind of biased transmission of news and information involves a lot of politics and planning to outline regions like the Northeast part of India.

4.2.5 Research Questions The researcher posed certain questions that she assumed she will find an answer at the completion of the research. These questions are: 1. Why there are only negative aspects shown most of the time about the Northeast India despite many other news that revolves around the same time? 2. Why is the broadcast media concerned around this region only when there is a bomb- blast or floods or any other distorted activities? 3. Can media change the distorted image of the Northeast region through a more positive and sober portrayal of this region? After the study the researcher found out that the news channels at a certain point of time have been ignorant about this region. They have no good usage of words to describe the events of the Northeast. They are harsh and depict this region to be a disturbed and distorted place where there are only criminal activities and other regional disputes that goes on. According to media there cannot be any instance of normal everyday life, as there will always be some to disrupt the peace and tranquillity of people‟s lives. Media do not focus on the positive aspects of this region as much as it does when it comes to the negative features of this region. It has in some level alienated the Northeast region completely from that of the mainland. Coming to the third question, the researcher found out that media plays an important and extensive role in people‟s lives today. It is observed that because of the busy schedule throughout the day, when they go through news at the leisure hour and they see a negative news from the Northeast region they do not further try to investigate rather finds it more appropriate to believe what the news channels are showing. And with a 48 thorough telecast of negative news items from this region people tend to understand and perceive this region the way it is portrayed. However, when the researcher did the survey, she found out that media holds a great potential to influence the way people think and react to a certain news item. And thus, the already weaved distorted perception of the Northeast region can be changed only by the news channels or the media. Every region in the country faces some or the other unfortunate incidents. This does not mean that the region should be tagged as a negative and a disturbed region. Rather, a powerful medium such as the mass media or news channels should try and reconstruct this image. If it‟s anyone who can bring prosperity to a diverse country like India, in terms of creating a better understanding of the different regions of the country, it is the media. If they are not contributing to this kind of peace and understanding, no one else can.

Chapter 5 CONCLUSION

India, a land of many different cultures, languages, religions, festivals and geographic landscape etc., which makes her one of the most colourful and diverse countries of the world. With such diversity come a lot more diverse thinking patterns and beliefs resulting in differences in opinions, clashes between two different communities and so on, and in all this the media has a big role to play. Northeast region of India is a rich abode of natural beauty and bounty encompassing the Seven Sister States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the adjacent hilly state of Sikkim. But it is a strange fact that such a vast territory of the country remains poorly represented in the national consciousness. Much blame for performing such an ignoring act rests with the national media which brings out news from the region for its national readers and viewers. There is a distorted presentation of the news and developments from the region at almost all the time by the news channels or newspaper that talks about the Northeast. We all are well aware that the projection of news and current affairs from a particular region at the national platform has a huge impact on the psyche of the viewers and readers. The national media is concerned or rather obsessed with news of violence and insurgency which comes from this region. If we take a look at some of the daily clips of the media – ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam), NSCN (National Socialist Council of Nagaland), flood, and bomb blasts form the core news items from the northeast region. The national media seems to confide news content within these walls of news as far as Northeast India is concerned. The media makes it look like Northeast is a place only for contents like these. Today media is a very powerful element in the age of human existence. Since it is both audio and visual, people tend to be attracted to the kind of events and programmes they show.

Media at large should realize the power they are holding in terms of the type of information they are disseminating to the mass. They should realize how their representation of a certain thing or news piece can affect the lives of millions of people. It‟s high time when media should evolve as the epitome of not just information retriever but also a means of trust that public have entrusted upon. The media should make it a point to put it across to people that Northeast is a part of India and not a place from outside the Indian mainland. They should focus or rather balance their news flow from this region as both negative and positive. Since, there is already a perception created in the minds of the people by the media about the northeast region, may be the first thing that the media should do is to focus on the positive aspects of the region. The media should broadcast about the various developmental programmes and progresses in the field of education, society, politics, art, tourism and the like. They can also make the mass aware about the diverse culture and ethnicity that this region has in its abode. Talking about the rich ancient cultural heritage that the northeast possesses can definitely make a huge impact on how people look at this particular region. On days when there is no news from the northeast region, the news channels should telecast news piece related to the rich and vibrant music of northeast and its eventful history of film making. The tourism sector of the Northeast attracts millions of tourists every year. The news channels can incorporate programmes or small segments that will provide information to the masses about the travel opportunities to this region. Constant updating and educating people about the positive essence of Northeast can do a great deal in changing the perception of the mass about this region. Even if it is a small act in the beginning, gradually this will shape into a bigger achievement in terms of changing the distorted picture of the Northeast. Certainly, Media has a great role to play in taking that small step

REFERENCES

Akoijam, I. (2013, April 21 ). Coverage of the North East declines. Retrieved from http://www.thehoot.org/: http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?sectionId=9&mod=1&pg=1&valid= true&storyid=6734 Ali, S. (2006, June). Public affairs magazine Indigenousherald.com: An initiative by tribal journalists to portray northeast India – Seven Sister States. Retrieved from http://www.indiantribalheritage.org/: http://www.indiantribalheritage.org/ Assam Tourism. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://assamtourism.gov.in/land.php Baruah, S. ( 2005). "A New Politics of Race: India and its North-east". Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/4680294/_A_New_Politics_of_Race_India_and_its_N orth-east_ Basnett, P. (2010). Coverage of Northeast India in the Indian Mainstream Media: A Study of the Perception of Northeast Indians Living in Bangalore. Bangalore: Department of Media Studies, Christ University. Retrieved from http://repository.christuniversity.in/. Bordoloi, P. (2014, May 26). Mass media in north east India: the trends of conflict reporting. Retrieved from http://www.opendemocracy.net/: http://www.opendemocracy.net/openindia/paranjoy-bordoloi/mass-media-in- north-east-india-trends-of-conflict-reporting Kharsyntiew, E. (2012, June 13). Northeast tribals in India: the hard truth. Retrieved from http://www.theshillongtimes.com/: http://www.theshillongtimes.com/2012/06/13/northeast-tribals-in-india-the-hard- truth/ Manipur- Official website of Manipur State. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://manipur.gov.in/?page_id=3507

Mesmerizing Meghalaya- The Official Website of Meghalaya Tourism. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://megtourism.gov.in/: http://megtourism.gov.in/aboutmeghalaya.html Official website of Sikkim tourism. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sikkimtourism.gov.in: http://www.sikkimtourism.gov.in/Webforms/General/Introduction.aspx Paljor, K. (2011, January 28). North-east off the radar of mainstream media? Retrieved from http://ibnlive.in.com/: http://ibnlive.in.com/chat/view//576.html Sadokpam, D. (2011, January 10). Text, Image and Vision: Media Representation of India's Northeast and Democratic Space. Retrieved from http://in.boell.org/: http://in.boell.org/2011/01/10/text-image-and-vision-media-representation-indias- northeast-and-democratic-space Sengupta, A. (2007, November 2). Northeast India: Through the Prism of the National Media. Retrieved from http://www.ipcs.org/: http://www.ipcs.org/article/terrorism-in-northeast/northeast-india-through-the- prism-of-the-national-media-2409.html Tripura Tourism. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://tripuratourism.gov.in/Origin Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India Wikipedia,. (n.d.). Retrieved November Wednesday, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_India (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arunachal_Pradesh (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizoram (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizoram (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagaland (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagaland (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagaland

APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE Disclaimer: This questionnaire is for academic purpose and all your responses will be kept confidential. Kindly participate in my research by responding to the questions below. TITLE OF THE STUDY: Northeast and Its Portrayal In The Broadcast Media- A Picture Beyond Terrorism And Insurgency.

Name

Age

Gender

Occupation

Do you watch news channels?

Yes

Sometimes How many hours a day do you watch news?

Less than 1 hour

1-2 hours

More than 2 hours What time in the day do you generally watch news?

Morning

Evening Which of the following news channels do you frequently watch? If 'others' specify your answer

NDTV

CNN-IBN

Times Now

AajTak

Headlines Today

Zee News

Other: What kind of news do you prefer?

Hard news

Soft news

Both, depends on the intensity and popularity of the news Do you think news channels are always unbiased towards the content they broadcast?

Yes, news channels show true stories. otherwise their integrity will reduce

No, they are always biased towards a particular region or news

Sometimes it is biased Do you think news today has lost its credibility, which includes repeated broadcast of the same time and again?*Required

Does news content today heavily depends on the TRP ratings? Give your opinion for choosing your answer

Yes

What do you think about the type of news inclusivity from the northeast region of India?

Totally biased

Not biased

Depends on the popularity of the news The issues of the northeast region of India need bigger space and a different perspective for the viewers to view from. If 'Others' specify your opinion

Agree

Disagree

Other: Media creates a perception of good and bad in the minds of the public. If media does the same in giving out a good perspective about the northeast, do you think the image of the distorted Northeast will turn into the real image that it is? If 'Others' specify your opinion

Definitely, media works in the minds of the people

No, the perception about the northeast India is already weaved in the minds of the people by the media; it is too late to change it.

Other: What in your opinion should the media do to give the world the real picture of the northeast India that northeast is beyond terrorism and insurgency?*Required

The way news is presented can change the impact it creates on the public. Do you think this statement is correct when it comes to the presentation of news of the northeast region? Give your opinion.*Required

Have you ever tried knowing and studying about the real picture of the Northeast India?*Required. Specify the reason for your answer

Does news from the northeast region of India interests you?

Yes, I give interest in all kinds of news

Sometimes, when it is really something which is important

Never, news channels do not come up with interesting news about the northeast region Did you come across any recent event/s that happened in the northeast through the news channels? *Required. If 'yes' specify the Channel and the event.

When a topic gets discussed in discussion panel do you think it gains a momentum

Yes

No Do you watch discussion panels/ programmes?

Yes

No Have you ever come across any topic being discussion with regards to northeast region?

Yes

No Do you think if any topics related to northeast if made a part if discussion panels people will get more introduction to know about the region?

Yes