May 25,2020

To,

The President,

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ),

IFJ Headquarters, BELGIUM.

Subject : COVID-19 crisis has impacted newspaper business in India reg.

Dear Sir,

The National Union of Journalists (India), the representative body of working journalists across the India, would like to bring the kind and urgent attention of International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) that COVID-19 crisis has impacted newspaper business in India terribly. The National Union of Journalists (India) has sought immediate intervention of the Government of India to put a stop to the ongoing large-scale retrenchment of working journalists and other coercive measures of the media houses in the under the belt of COVID19 pandemic.

Amid lockdown in the wake of the Covid-19, the pandemic that many journalists have been facing loss of job and financial crisis.Nearly two months of the nationwide lockdown to combat COVID-19 has impacted the media sectors. News content, which falls in essential service category, has seen a surge in consumption but newspaper revenues have fallen dramatically. Circulation has been disrupted in many places. Media organizations have been laying off staff, cutting salaries and stopping publications. It seems like the first thing the pandemic has hit around the world is the news media business. 

Big media ion like The Times of India, The Telegraph and The Indian Express is almost laying off staff and the situation is much worsen for smaller, regional organizations. Almost lots of small media organization have been shut down. Media persons are infected during the coverage, facing financial crisis and to the utmost tragic that a photo journalist commits suicide also. Several managements of print, electronic, web and other media across the country including in the national capital New Delhi are resorting to large scale retrenchment and cut in the wages of working journalists with scant regard for various labour laws in the wake of lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Media Houses besides retrenching many journalists are forcing some others to go on leave without pay and sabbatical leave, citing loss of advertisement revenue from the government and corporate business and industrial houses. Many media managements are arbitrarily imposing cut in the wages without following due process of law.

The NUJ(I) urges International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to take immediate action on the violation of labor laws in the media institutions so that no media worker will loss its job in this difficult time.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely

Ras Bihari                                            Prasanna Mohanty  

President                                             Secretary-General