Media professionals discuss journalism’s changing landscape in Nagaland, highlighting verification, ethics, accountability, misinformation and public trust in digital media
Vimetuo Toto Pienyu
DIMAPUR — As social media and digital platforms transform how news is produced and consumed, media professionals in Nagaland are raising concerns over verification, accountability and the growing difficulty of distinguishing journalism from online content.
Eastern Mirror spoke to three media professionals with experience in Nagaland’s media industry about the changing nature of journalism, the pressures of digital publishing, the importance of verification, and the responsibility of journalists and content creators towards the public.
The conversations also examined the changing meaning of the term ‘journalist’, as social media platforms have enabled more people to produce and circulate news and information without necessarily undergoing formal journalism training or following newsroom processes.
A recurring concern was the growing difficulty for the public to distinguish between verified news and information circulated online.
While digital platforms have widened access to information and created opportunities for independent reporting, the absence of consistent editorial and verification processes can allow unverified or sensationalised claims to spread rapidly.
Also read: Journalists discuss media ethics at Northeast Media Conclave in Kohima
A media professional with two decades of experience in Nagaland’s media industry, who requested anonymity, said the evolution of journalism has changed the way news is delivered, but the responsibility behind reporting remains the same.
The professional described journalism in Nagaland as homegrown and contextual, with early pioneers making significant contributions to the field.
The growth of social media, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic, has changed how news reaches the public. According to the professional, the shift has also eased some of the pressure on print media to immediately report every development, creating greater space for detailed reporting.
Kallol Dey, an independent journalist who has been in the media industry since 2002, said the shift from traditional journalism to digital platforms has significantly changed the way news is gathered and reported.
He recalled that reporting in the early days involved considerable groundwork, including physically verifying information and consulting books and records when necessary.
Dr. Moalemba Jamir, Associate Editor of The Morung Express, who has more than a decade of experience in the field, also pointed to the changing media landscape, marked by the emergence of online portals, social media pages, YouTube channels and other digital platforms.
While these platforms have made news more immediate and accessible and created greater diversity of voices, Jamir noted that many digital outlets operate with unclear ownership, editorial structures, objectives or professional guidelines.
Verification in digital age
The expansion of digital platforms has also blurred the distinction between journalism and general information, the media professional said.
Independent content creators may not necessarily undergo formal journalism training or follow the verification checkpoints and editorial procedures traditionally associated with newsrooms, he added.
Read more: Credibility at the Core: Nagaland media reflects on rising misinformation on National Press Day
The professional expressed concern over the spread of unverified and sensationalised information on digital platforms. With digital content reaching wider audiences, and information also spreading rapidly through Nagaland’s strong oral tradition, unverified claims can circulate quickly, he cautioned.
Dey said the rise of the 24-hour news cycle has created pressure on journalists to publish and upload quickly, sometimes at the cost of proper verification and background research.
With social media becoming a major source of news, he urged the public to exercise caution with information received online and verify reports through multiple credible sources.
Jamir stressed the importance of pausing before sharing information and developing the habit of verification, contextualising and cross-referencing, particularly in an environment marked by information overload and the growing use of generative AI.
“To share is human; to share after verification is superhuman,” Jamir said.
He suggested that media literacy should become an integral part of education, preferably from the high-school stage, with young people learning to recognise bias, prejudice and intent behind information rather than accepting information at face value.
Ethics and editorial standards
The anonymous media professional stressed that ethical standards should not rest solely with media organisations, but also with individuals involved in gathering and publishing information.
Formal journalism training, knowledge of the law and an understanding of the principles of the Press Council of India and the Constitution were identified as important aspects of responsible reporting.
The professional also noted that financial pressures can influence journalistic decisions, with the relationship between media owners and editors playing an important role in maintaining editorial standards.
Jamir called for journalism in Nagaland to become more “professional, transparent, accountable and evidence-driven”, while retaining its public-service character.
He also highlighted the need for newsrooms to strengthen areas such as data journalism, digital verification, multimedia storytelling, investigative techniques, ethics and the responsible use of AI.
The pressure to publish
Dey stressed that journalists should develop the habit of asking questions and understanding an issue before reporting it.
He said journalism’s responsibility is “not to make people comfortable, but to question authority and provide accurate information in the public interest”.
Looking ahead, the anonymous professional stressed the need for journalists to take greater ownership of their work and for newspapers to remain proactive and investigative while maintaining public confidence.
He also called for greater accountability among journalists and digital content creators, stressing the importance of serving the public interest and taking responsibility for the consequences of published information.
Jamir, meanwhile, called for greater emphasis on original, ethical and investigative reporting and minimising harm, rather than simply reproducing press releases, social media posts or the work of other news organisations.
For aspiring journalists, the anonymous professional emphasised the importance of being truthful, respecting others and understanding the consequences of one’s actions.
Self-accountability, he said, remains an important part of maintaining public trust.
Dey described ethical journalism as a responsibility to hold power accountable while remaining careful with the truth and mindful of the people affected by every story.
“Ethical journalism, to me, means holding power accountable without becoming its enemy, telling the truth without becoming careless with it, and never forgetting that behind every story are real people,” he said.
Jamir also highlighted the importance of journalists’ working conditions, noting that ethical journalism can be difficult to sustain when journalists are “poorly paid, overworked or lack professional security and opportunities for training”.
Vimetuo Toto Pienyu is a third-semester student of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Tetso College, Sovima. He is currently undertaking an internship at Eastern Mirror.