Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) expresses concern over the coronavirus infection to a large number of media persons while they went on reporting about COVID-19 outbreak across India.
It termed the news of over 50 journalists turning COVID-19 positive in a single city as horrible and requests every scribe on the ground to follow the necessary guidelines.
Local reports reveal that at least 53 media persons including reporters, video journalists, news photographers in Mumbai were tested positive for the deadly virus.
Chennai reported two cases of media COVID-19 positive and Bhopal witnessed one scribe with the coronavirus infection.
All affected journalists were reportedly sent for quarantine.
“While appealing to all working journalists for maintaining health protocols in the time of a pandemic, we also urge the government to extend the benefits of Rs 50 lakh insurance cover to media persons on duty hours in the line of health professionals, sanitation workers, police personnel etc,” said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria.
The news media, which has been exempted from the nationwide lockdown to carry out its duty, carries the obligation to inform the people about the COVID-19 pandemic along with the authority’s efforts to combat the catastrophe, JFA preaches the scribes to follow some recognized guidelines (like those included in the Committee to Protect Journalists site www.cpj.org/2020/02/cpj-safety-advisory-covering-the-coronavirus-outbr.php or https://cpj.org/coronavirus_safety_advisory_assamese.pdf) for their own safety and securities.