Shillong (Meghalaya), Feb 4: The Shillong Press Club (SPC) and the Meghalaya Editors’ & Publishers Association (MEPA) have strongly condemned a social media post by the VPP Youth Wing, calling for a two-wheeler rally on February 6 to protest against a signatory to a letter seeking an apology from VPP President Ardent Basaiawmoit.
The letter in question was sent to Basaiawmoit for making baseless allegations against two news channels, Batesi TV and T7, accusing them of disseminating fake news.
The signatory for the MEPA, who is also the Vice President of the Association is a long-standing member of the press fraternity here and has worked in Meghalaya for over three decades. Under no circumstances can he be labelled as “mynder” (foreigner). Above all, the media in Meghalaya is a cohesive whole and does not practice any form of communalism or racism but has remained a united fraternity serving as the fourth pillar of democracy with all the conviction they can muster. It is therefore a racial slur to term a senior member of the press fraternity who is officially accredited by the State Directorate of Information and Public Relations as an ‘outsider’ when he is very much an Indian citizen like everyone else, unless the VPP considers Indian citizens residing in Meghalaya as foreigners
The media in Meghalaya stands united against any form of communalism or racism, serving as a pillar of democracy.
SPC & MEPA jointly urged the VPP Youth Wing to retract their statement and promote harmony and respect for the press.
