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Past Blank Spaces That Spoke
Kudos to the newspapers of Nagaland for standing up against censorship imposed by any section of the society, politicians, the army, or militant groups. Freedom of the media and free speech is essential to the growth of any society and any attempt to curb the voice of the people should be resisted.
Kudos to the newspapers of Nagaland for standing up against censorship imposed by any section of the society, politicians, the army, or militant groups. Freedom of the media and free speech is essential to the growth of any society and any attempt to curb the voice of the people should be resisted.
However, the editorial, “When Blank Spaces Speak” (EPW, 21 November 2015) needs a correction. It is not the first time Nagaland newspapers used blank space to protest. If I am not mistaken, the first journalist/newspaper in North East India to use a blank space to protest was by the well-known journalist Al Ngullie in 2008. Ngullie used a blank space for his regular column in Morung Express to protest the violence between Naga insurgent groups that led to the killing of innocent civilians. For the second time in 2010 he blanked out his column, titled “United Colors of Nagas,” also in the Morung Express. I am unclear about the reason for the second one, but it was related to political events of the time.
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