The Kohima Press Club (KPC) has expressed shock and dismay over the manner in which Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton berated a journalist during a public meeting in Wokha district on August 23.

In a statement, the KPC said it was “unbecoming of the Deputy Chief Minister to rebuke a member of the media while delivering a public speech, not only questioning the reporter for doing his/her job but also singling out the reporter, instructing not to sit in front of him or to come to the area when he (Patton) is present.”

The KPC condemned what it described as a display of dictatorial behaviour, stressing that targeting journalists for carrying out their professional duty was unacceptable. “As journalists, it is our fundamental duty to question in our quest for truth and in providing fair and comprehensive accounts of events,” the KPC asserted.

Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play

Expressing solidarity with the aggrieved reporter, the KPC added, “We are deeply disturbed by the way our fellow journalist was verbally abused, that too on record and in full public view.” It also appealed for a conducive environment for journalists to work in.