ZCZC
BSS-41
STATEMENT-TEACHERS-JOURNO-SAFETY
Teachers, journalists demand professional safety of journos
DHAKA, July 19, 2020 (BSS) – Against the backdrop of termination of journalists at different print, electronic and online media, a good number of university teachers of journalism and journalists today sought government and non-government efforts to ensure professional safety of journalists in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic.
The demand was made in a statement inked by over 60 teachers of mass communication and journalism at reputed public and private universities including Dhaka University (DU), Rajshahi University (RU), Chattogram University (CU), Jahangirnagar University (JU), Khulna University, private-run Daffodil International University (DIU), Stamford University Bangladesh and 16 leading journalists.
The signatories included former and incumbent teachers of mass communication and journalism at the DU– Prof Shakhawat Ali Khan, Prof Golam Rahman (former chief information commissioner), Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique (former vice-chancellor of DU and newly appointed chairman of state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha) and Prof Mofizur Rhaman and Abdur Razzaque Khan–, Prof Dulal Chandra Biswas and Prof Pradip Kumar Pandey of RU, Md Ali Asgar Chowdhury, Md Shahidul Haque, Md Abul Kalam Azad, Muhammad Zakaria, Rajib Nandi, Rezaul Karim and Sudipto Sharma of CU.
Among the journalists, who signed the statement, are Nadeem Qadir, Zulfiqar Ali Manik, Sukanta Gupta Alak, Joy E Mamun, Ashok Chowdhury, Munni Saha, Nazrul Islam Mithu, Pranab Saha, Prabhash Amin, Fahim Ahmed, Talat Mamun, Ranjan Sen, Debashish Roy, Saidul Islam, Ashish Saikat and Deep Azad.
They said in the statement that they came to know that owners and authorities of many print and electronic media decided not to provide festival bonus marking the Eid to their journalists and employees just after one month of the general holidays announced by the government in the last week of March this year.
Some media cut amount of salaries and bonus, gave forceful leave and terminated a large number of journalists that created a crisis in mass media putting the journalists’ lives and livings at a stake.
They called upon the authorities concern to ensure professional safety of journalists as none becomes jobless during this crisis period triggered by the global outbreak of deadly coronavirus.
BSS/MKD/QC/2026hrs