NEW DELHI/HYDERABAD: Journalist unions from across the country have expressed deep anguish besides serious concern over developments in the media enterprises that include suspension of publications, salary cuts and summery dismissals of working and non-working journalists in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, journalists’ bodies comprising Press Association (PA), Indian Journalists Union (IJU), National Union of Journalists (NUJ-I) and Working News Cameramen’s Association (WNCA) described the media industry response to the nationwide lockdown as knee-jerk reaction.
Into the third week of the lockdown, the Indian Express and Business Standard have asked staff to take salary cuts, the Times of India (TOI) has sacked the entire Sunday magazine team, News Nation terminated 16 English digital employees, while about half of the Quint team has been asked to go on leave without pay and it has closed its tech and auto section.
India Today has prepared a list of 46 reporters, 6 cameramen and 17 producers who are being removed due to losses right away. A national news agency has released only 60 percent pay to the employees. ET Panache and Bombay Times are set to merge and Panache asked 50 per cent staff to leave.
“When the whole of industrial sector was being asked to adopt humane approach and not to stop payments to workforce during lockdown, this downsizing and salary cuts in media industry is most inconsiderate to put it mildly,” the unions commented.
They said it is not proper for the media houses into business for so many years with expansions and modernisation, to suddenly claim financial helplessness.
“It is a fact that though media industry has registered lot of growth during the last few decades, the expenditure component of news gathering has not seen corresponding growth indicating underpayment to journalists in India,” the unions said.
They also urged the media houses to think collectively about various aspects of the crisis and find ways to surmount the difficult phase with minimal hardship to the workforce including working journalists.
The unions further suggested the media houses to approach the government for any possible succour during this hardship.
“The Indian media cannot afford to fail the society at this juncture when its services are needed most as the most reliable and responsible source of information,” they averred.
