When journalists themselves become victim of publishers

Kathmandu, 4 July: Journalists are considered as the voice of those voiceless and exploited people in the society. It is even considered that the pen is mighty than the sword. In Nepal, those very journalists working in the front line of the society are becoming victim of the businessmen in journalism business.

Journalism is considered as a service rendered to the nation and people, unfortunately, in Nepal, the publishers, involved in different business, have taken all the benefits of journalism and exploited those working journalists.

Those owners of the corporate media houses, which are known to be business tycoon in Nepal, have, instead of providing relief to the journalists during the lockdown period after spread of coronavirus pandemic, have made jobless to many journalists. Many of the journalists are even asked to work without salary or stay on leave without salary.

When such a trend has taken momentum, those journalists, who have become victim of the publishing houses are compelled to lunch agitation and demonstrate in the streets.

On Friday, journalists, who have become victim of the publishers, organised demonstration at Babarmahal, Kathmandu under the command of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists. Journalists working with different reputed media houses were seen in the streets carrying play-card against exploitation of the publishers.

Along with lockdown started in the country, the Kantipur Media Group, Annapurna Post, Naya Patrika, Ujyalo Redio, among other noted media houses started to oust journalists, denied paying salary and even compelling journalists to work without salary.

FNJ has thus launched protest programmes against the media houses.

“We listened to other’s voice, who to listen our voice?”; “Where is the billions of rupees worth profit earned by the media houses?”, journalists in demonstration were carrying such play-cards.

The Kantipur Media Group has shut-down Naree, Saptahik and Nepal magazines, Nagarik daily has shut down Republica English daily.

Time and again, it has been confirmed that those big corporate media houses have invested in media just to earn profit and gain social prestige, not to serve the nation and the people.

The People’s Review team extends solidarity on the protest organised by FNJ for basic rights of journalists.

People’s News Monitoring Service