Initiate sincere attempt to protect journalists' job safety: Teachers, journos ask newspaper owners

Sixty journalism teachers from universities across the country and 16 journalists today in a joint statement asked newspaper owners to initiate a sincere attempt at ensuring the professional safety of journalists to combat the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

The teachers and the journalists made the remark today and called upon all to stand by the sides of others in this critical time.

"An unprecedented number of crises and uncertainty are prevailing around the whole world, thanks to the pandemic of Covid-19. We don't know when and how the crisis will end," the statement reads.    

Expressing concern over termination of journalists and the cutting of bonuses and salaries by some media houses, the media professionals said they are aware of the losses incurred by the newspapers due to the evolving crisis.

"We knew that the normal life of people, businesses and economic activities came to a halt due to the pandemic -- that affects media houses as well, as their advertisements and incomes were also reduced."

They asked the owners of media houses to seek loans on easy terms and conditions for journalists from the government, or to initiate a joint fund instead to fight the crisis, and urged them to find a better solution by consulting with the journalists.

The statement was signed by Dhaka University Prof Shakhawat Ali Khan, Prof Golam Rahman, Prof AASM Arefin Siddique, Prof Abdur Razzque, Prof Mafizur Rahman, Chittagong University Prof Md Ali Asgar Chowdhury, Prof Md Shahidul Haque, Prof Shudipta Sharma, Rajshahi University Prof Pradip Kumar Pandey, Prof Mamun A Kaiyum, journalist Nadim Kadir, Pranab Saha, Talat Mamun, Julfikar Ali Manik and Ashoke Chowdhury, among others.