Protesting Farmers Are Not Anti-Nationals: Editors Guild of India
While the Editors Guild is a toothless outfit, it keeps issuing shallow statements which are ignored by the authorities and people who are supposed to follow them.
By RMN News Service
The Editors Guild of India (EGI) said in a statement that it is concerned about the news coverage of the farmers’ protests in the national capital New Delhi.
The EGI observed that certain sections of the media have been labeling the protesting farmers as “Khalistanis”, “anti-nationals”, and other such terms to delegitimize the protests without any evidence or proof.
Hundreds of thousands of Indian farmers are protesting on the outskirts of India’s capital New Delhi since November 27 against the contentious farm laws introduced in September by PM Narendra Modi’s government.
Although farmers across the nation oppose Modi government’s decision, the movement is being led by farmers of Punjab, an Indian state which contributes the lion’s share to the Indian agriculture sector.
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“This goes against the tenets of responsible and ethical journalism. Such actions compromise the credibility of the media,” the EGI said in its statement released Friday, December 4.
The Editors Guild of India has issued a Media Advisory on the news coverage of the ongoing farmers’ protests in the national capital. pic.twitter.com/wwuKTWwW0h
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) December 4, 2020
The editors’ body advised media organizations to display fairness, objectivity, and balance in reporting the farmers’ protests, without displaying partisanship against those who are exercising their constitutional rights to express themselves.
The EGI statement added that media shouldn’t be complicit to any narrative that derogates dissent and stereotypes protesters based on their attire and ethnicity.
While EGI is a toothless outfit, it keeps issuing shallow statements which are ignored by the authorities and people who are supposed to follow them.
