Amid the coronavirus fear and the extended lockdown to tame the
spread, north Bengal marked World Press Freedom Day through messages
people shared through the digital platform today.
As Darjeeling Member of Parliament Raju Bista and some organisations
appreciated the role of journalists, who are especially covering the
Covid-19 situation in different parts of the region, including the North
Bengal Medical College and Hospital and the Covid hospital in Siliguri,
the Siliguri Journalists’ Club (SJC) came up with a slogan that pleaded
with people to stay at home and help contain the pandemic.
“We stay at work for you, you stay at home for us,” the SJC slogan
said. The Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association
(EHTTOA) sent a message to reporters wherein it said: “The pen shall
always remain mighter than the sword.”
Similarly, another organization, Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism
Development Network (HHTDN) said: “We appreciate and acknowledge the
tough and great work you all are doing in this challenging time, risking
your health.”
“A very thin line separates a democratic nation and a despotic one,
and journalists by virtue of their profession are one of the most
important pillars of democracy. Whenever journalists have failed to live
up to the ethics of their profession, democracy has faltered,” said
Darjeeling MP Raju Bista in a message.
Quoting former BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, he added, “You were
asked only to bend, but you crawled,” (during the period of emergency).
“Everyone who wants democratic values, civil liberties, freedom of
speech and expression, and more importantly ‘Freedom of Press’ to be
upheld in our nation, needs to reflect and ponder over his words, so
that we can ensure our nation will never have to live such a horror ever
again,” Mr Bista added.
“I implore all journalists across West Bengal to help restore
democracy in the state by fearlessly reporting the truth, and by asking
hardhitting questions to those who are unwilling to be held accountable
to the public,” he added.
In a Facebook post, the Chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial
Administration, Anit Thapa, also sent out his “tribute to all the Press,
Media & Journalists for their dedication and support in this
pandemic situation.” A senior bureaucrat associated with the West Bengal
government, on the other hand, said: “This is a motivated call for
freedom. If freedom is so motive-oriented, it loses its wings in the
shackles of political ambitions.”
https://www.thestatesman.com
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