Media, Gender and Peace Initiatives in Northeast India: An Analysis

Abstract

Northeast part of India has always been in the news and public discourse for ongoing conflicts and violent events occurring from time to time. In such a context, the role media plays for resolution of such conflicts and restoration of peace cannot be ignored. Years-long, this part of the country has been suffering due to conflicts of various sorts and this has led to the loss of human lives and property of unaccountable proportion. Moreover, there are instances of such conflicts later resulting in civil wars and larger humanitarian crisis with people of one community perpetrating violence on the other. In such situations, women who are considered to be the most vulnerable among all have suffered the most. In this backdrop, the paper is a content analysis of six newspapers published from three selected states from the northeastern part of India. It looks at the way media, more specifically the print reacts to conflict situations and peace processes in northeast India. Apart from that, the paper also reflects upon the perception of the journalists towards the role print media is playing in conflict situations in Northeast India.