Big media houses exploiting journalists
By Our Reporter
The Federation of Nepalese Journalists has launched a movement against some big media houses when they ousted working journalists and also compelled them to work without salary.
The reality is that the owners of those corporate media houses are enjoying a very luxurious life from the profit they have earned from the media they are running. Besides, they are involved in tax default, blackmailing business and capturing construction tender and other business under the influence of the media they are running.
Unfortunately, when lockdown was started, showing loss in media business, the very owners have shut-down publication and compelled journalists to work without salary or to quit the publication. media owners are staying in luxury houses and riding luxury vehicles. It is said that even if they dispose of their vehicle, they will be able to distribute the salary of all the journalists working under them.
Journalists are considered as the voice of those voiceless and exploited people in the society. It is even considered that the pen is mightier than the sword. In Nepal, those very journalists working in the front line of the society are becoming victims of the businessmen of those corporate media houses.
Journalism is considered as a service rendered to the nation and people, unfortunately, in Nepal, the publishers, involved in different businesses, have taken all the benefits of journalism and exploited those working journalists.
Those owners of the corporate media houses, which are known to be business tycoons in Nepal, have, instead of providing relief to the journalists during the lockdown period after the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, have compelled them to quit the job.
When such a trend has taken momentum, those journalists, who have become victims of the publishing houses, are compelled to launch a movement against those owners.
Journalists working with different reputed media houses are seen in the streets carrying play-cards against exploitation of the publishers.
Along with lockdown started in the country, the Kantipur Media Group, Annapurna Post, Naya Patrika, Ujyalo Radio, among other noted media houses started to oust journalists, denied paying salary and even compelling journalists to work without salary.
FNJ has thus launched a movement against the media houses.
“We listened to other’s voices, who to listen to our voices?”; “Where is the billions of rupees worth profit earned by the media houses?”, journalists in demonstration are carrying such play-cards.
The Kantipur Media Group has shut-down Naree, Saptahik and Nepal magazines, Nagarik daily has shut down Republica English daily.
Time and again, it has been confirmed that those big corporate media houses have invested in media just to earn profit and gain social prestige, not to serve the nation and the people. If one goes through their background, they are found involved in different controversial businesses.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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