Press Club of Assam (PCA) on Monday expressed deep concern that some Guwahati-based media persons have tested positive for COVID-19.
It urged the media house managements to come clean on their employees’ health status as part of social responsibility.
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The registered press club has also appealed to all media persons in Assam to follow health guidelines framed to combat the pandemic.
As per unconfirmed reports, around 35 media employees associated with various satellite news channels, digital media outlets and newspapers in Guwahati have been infected with the novel coronavirus.
But no mainstream media outlets have reported about this worrying development till date.
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“It is unfortunate that while news channels remain vocal about coronavirus infection of common people (even identifying them by name and address), they collectively remain silent when members of their own media fraternity test positive,” said a PCA statement issued by president Kailas Sarma, working president Nava Thakuria and secretary Hiren Chandra Kalita.
“But such silence will spell trouble for those who come in contact with infected media persons,” the release added.
The media club has also voiced support for the demand for compulsory COVID-19 screening of all media employees by the respective house management, and has urged state health minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma to push for such an exercise.
PCA has argued that when the media fraternity in COVID-19 hotspots like Mumbai can be open about media persons getting infected in the line of duty and even take pride as frontline COVID-19 warriors, then there is every reason to emulate such honesty and transparency in Assam.