HYDERABAD, Oct 25: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) on Sunday appealed to the Centre to declare journalists as frontline warriors and sanction compensation to the families and kin of COVID-19 victims among the media fraternity in exclusion to the compensations declared by state governments.
According to a statement, the appeal was made during the national executive committee meeting of IJU, which concluded on Sunday in Hyderabad.
During the meeting, the IJU took up various issues concerning journalists across India. “The meeting discussed various burning issues concerning the practitioners of journalism across India and emphasised on effective safety and security to journalists, reforms in Press Council of India (PCI) and basic minimum facilities to the media fraternity sustaining the spirit under freedom of the press to serve the largest democracy on the globe,” the statement said.
The IJU also urged the authorities to probe the alleged murders of five journalists till date and provide adequate compensations to the victims’ families.
“Expressing concern over the growing number of attacks on journalists (where India lost five journalists namely Raman Kashyap, Manish Kumar Singh, Chenna Keshav, Sulabh Srivastava and Ashu Yadav to assailants) and media organisations in different parts of the country, the IJU meet demanded a specific law to deal with such situations applicable across India. It also urged the government not to misinterpret and misuse various laws with an aim to harass media houses not falling in line,” the statement said.
It also demanded the reinstallation of the Working Journalists Act with “more favourable provisions encompassing wages, wage revisions, job security, pension benefits and the whole gamut of working conditions for professional journalists in the country.”
Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, who was part of the meeting, appealed to the media fraternity to play a proactive role in the growth of the nation.
“He agreed to initiate support to corona media victims and pragmatic actions for the welfare and enrichment of journalists across the country,” the IJU said.
