Guwahati: In a democratic country, every citizen who expresses his views constructively through any medium (now abundantly used digital platforms) can be termed as a journalist, who may be associated with any profession and not necessarily employed by any media house; but that will not suit for a working (or say professional) journalist, commented a forum of media persons based in northeast India. Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) in a statement argues that the recent debates arose after the arrest of a city-based journalist indicating that many motivated elements have tried their best to misguide the people by imposing the identity of a practicing journalist over an individual, who does a kind of journalistic activities maintaining the profession of a practicing lawyer.
“It’s amazing that many hit the streets with the sole conviction that the particular scribe is a full time journalist (reads with no alignment to any legally endorsed profession), but the prime mover of the movement remains silent over the actual identity of the concerned journalist. Even after repeated public queries from State Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and IPR minister Pijush Hazarika, the Gauhati Press Club (formerly Guwahati Press Club) continues to be indifferent over the matter. The press club authority should come clean, if its constitution allows a practicing lawyer to be a general member (who subsequently gets promoted to be a member of the executive committee), but the same GPC restricts freelance journalists (who are associated with the profession of journalism for decades),” said a JFA statement.
The forum also insisted that both CM Sarma and minister Hazarika should use the term ‘working/practicing/professional journalist’ instead of journalist to refer to those individuals who have no other lawful professions except journalism (whether s/he is employed in any recognised media house or not) to avoid such unwanted discourses. Moreover, instead of continue hammering the GPC, the government should consider resolving a pertinent issue for hundreds of GPC member-journalists by offering a plot of land so that they can have a permanent address inside the city (necessary funds may also be sanctioned), said JFA president Rupam Baruah and secretary Nava Thakuria, adding that the GPC should be encouraged to vacate the Ambari archaeological site (reflecting the glorious 187 to 75 BCE Sunga-Kushana dynasty) for proper preservation and further research.
