Wanted Wider United Front to Save Journalism and Journalists

The National Alliance of Journalists (NAJ) has called for a united front of journalists and co-workers for both the print and the electronic media, to be ready for a phased struggle. This is necessary to fight the twin dangers of zooming attacks on livelihood along with attacks on the right to report fairly, besides physical attacks and other encroachments into press freedom.

In a joint statement today NAJ President S.K.Pande, General Secretary N. Kondaiah have noted that, “ north, south, east and west the newspaper industry has seen a wave of arbitrary retrenchments, approaching a new record even in Covid times. Some of these show a continuum, of unfair labour practices, particularly in the bigger newspaper, while others show clear attempts at targeting by vested interests including the government and other forces.

The case of the Hindustan Times Group, is classic, in that journalists were recently asked to attend brief meetings and told directly that they were being laid off with limited options. While a record took place in Hindustan Times Group in Delhi with over 130 cases, last week, a close competition is reported from the Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd with some others following suit.” The statement further noted: what we see today in some cases has put the emergency days to shame.