Ukhrul, Sept 14 | EKHON: Newmai News Network (NNN), a news agency that has served Manipur and the Northeast for more than two decades, announced on Monday that it would cease operations with immediate effect.
Founded by journalist Witoubou Newmai, NNN was established at a time when news and information from the hill areas of Manipur had limited access to mainstream media.
The network began with modest resources. In its early years, news reports were handwritten and manually reproduced using carbon copies before being distributed to newspapers, as computers, smartphones and digital news platforms were not yet widely available.
Over the years, NNN expanded its reach, with its reports appearing in newspapers across Manipur and other parts of the Northeast. It gradually earned the confidence of editors, journalists and readers for its coverage of events and issues, particularly from the hill areas.
In its closure announcement, NNN said the media landscape had changed significantly with the growth of the internet, social media and digital news platforms. People today have greater access to platforms through which they can report events, share information and tell their own stories directly.
The organisation said the purpose for which it was established had, to a considerable extent, been fulfilled, and that it was therefore time to make way for a new generation of journalists and storytellers.
NNN described the decision to wind up its operations as one of fulfilment rather than regret, expressing gratitude to its readers, media houses, editors, fellow journalists, well-wishers and the people of the Northeast for their support and trust over the years.
From its early days of handwritten reports and carbon copies to its presence in the digital news era, NNN’s more than two-decade journey marked a significant chapter in the development of news dissemination in Manipur and the Northeast.
With the closure, the network said its stories, experiences and memories would remain part of that journey even as it formally ends its operations.
