A considerable number of members of Media Unity for Freedom of Press (MUFP) representing the print, electronic (TV) and Web media met in an emergency meeting at Bhubaneswar on Tuesday (05.04.2010) afternoon and elaborately discussed about the increasing attack on the media by the police, anti-socials and the corporate-government nexus.
Despite repeated demands before the Chief Minister to put an end to the atrocities on the media and allow them to operate freely for the best interest of the State and the people and to uphold human right as well as freedom of the media, the Chief Minister and his Government have so far not taken any action against the erring officials, politicians and the corporate goons who are threatening the media freedom in very many ways. The latest victims are Mr. Amulya Kumar Pati of Indian Express and many other scribes in Kalinga Nagar and Mr Prafulla Dash of Naxatra TV in Sambalpur.
The meeting resolved to invite all the media persons of Bhubaneswar and elsewhere to assemble under the Freedom Tree, in front of Soochana Bhavan on Wednesday (7th April, 2010) at 4 p.m. from where they would go on a silent protest march to the State Assembly covering their mouths with black ribbons to silently protest for one hour from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. against growing threat on media and demanding exemplary action against the offenders.
It also demanded that all the accused persons named by Mr. Pati in his F.I.R. should be arrested forthwith despite of their high political and corporate connections and be prosecuted.
Since media persons were allowed to freely cover the war, riot and other critical events for the interest of the State/nation and the people to feed them with correct information, the State Government should not impose any restrictions on their movement to any area in the State to cover corporate conflict.
Despite repeated demands before the Chief Minister to put an end to the atrocities on the media and allow them to operate freely for the best interest of the State and the people and to uphold human right as well as freedom of the media, the Chief Minister and his Government have so far not taken any action against the erring officials, politicians and the corporate goons who are threatening the media freedom in very many ways. The latest victims are Mr. Amulya Kumar Pati of Indian Express and many other scribes in Kalinga Nagar and Mr Prafulla Dash of Naxatra TV in Sambalpur.
The meeting resolved to invite all the media persons of Bhubaneswar and elsewhere to assemble under the Freedom Tree, in front of Soochana Bhavan on Wednesday (7th April, 2010) at 4 p.m. from where they would go on a silent protest march to the State Assembly covering their mouths with black ribbons to silently protest for one hour from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. against growing threat on media and demanding exemplary action against the offenders.
It also demanded that all the accused persons named by Mr. Pati in his F.I.R. should be arrested forthwith despite of their high political and corporate connections and be prosecuted.
Since media persons were allowed to freely cover the war, riot and other critical events for the interest of the State/nation and the people to feed them with correct information, the State Government should not impose any restrictions on their movement to any area in the State to cover corporate conflict.
The MUFP also resolved to send a delegation of journalists to Kalinga Nagar on Thursday, 7th April, 2010 to visit the Gobarghati and other villages where people are living in panic because of the terror let loose by the corporate-government nexus. The team would meet the affected people and also injured scribes including Mr. Pati and prepare a report which will be sent to various national and international media bodies as well as human right organisations.
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