Media Legal Assistance Fund

IMPHAL, Sep 29 : The All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) and the Editors' Guild, Manipur (EGM) have set up a "Media Legal Assistance Fund" to aid journalists and media persons facing legal challenges related to their works.
In a joint statement, AMWJU and EGM  said that they decided to set up the Media Legal Assistance Fund given the ongoing case in which Editors' Guild of India (EGI) dragged the two journalists' bodies to the Supreme Court instead of appearing before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Imphal East.
Saying that cases not related to journalism, repor- ting and publication, however, will not be included in the assistance, AMWJU and EGM added that all applications for legal assistance will be reviewed and cleared by a Management Committee based on ethical reporting largely based on PCI guidelines tempered with local situations.
The fund will be managed transparently and handled by the Management Committee consisting representatives of AMWJU and EGM, a legal team led by advisor and a chartered accountant, it said and added that  there, however, will be no assistance for cases related to reporting that may be considered 'yellow journalism' or 'paid news'.
It also said that the Management Committee will be co-chaired by AMWJU and EGM presidents.
Apart from funds, AMWJU and EGM also invited Advocates to assist or take any case as per their convenience in the interest  of safeguarding the freedom of press in Manipur.
The statement further said Advocate Sapam Bishwajit and his team are representing AMWJU and EGM in the present case   on a pro bono basis and the organisations will cover their travel and other minor expenses.
It further stated that AMWJU and  EGM will begin the crowd-funding by approaching media houses.