Journalists stage 'Save UNI March' in Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 23: Hundreds of journalists and employees of media organisations today took out a 'Save UNI March' near the Parliament complex to protest the proposed sale of majority stake in the news agency to a private media group.

Civil rights activists, academics, lawyers, doctors, teachers and trade union activists joined the march, which began this afternoon from the Press Club of India to the UNI headquarters on the Rafi Marg.

Holding placards and wearing black badges, the journalists shouted slogans against the ''illegal takeover'' of the 45-year-old news agency saying it was an assault on the freedom of the press.

Organised by the Joint Action Committee of UNI Employees, the march was joined by the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ), Times of India Employees' Union, Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Union and the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) among others.

''It's UNI today and tomorrow it could be PTI,'' said S K Pandey, president of DUJ, who said the takeover bid by the Zee Group was ''an attempt to end the autonomy of the press''.

Addressing a rally at the UNI headquarters, Mr Pandey said the DUJ will constitute a Solidarity Action Committee, specially for resisting the sale of the news agency.

Krishna Jha of 'Media Hasthachep' said the news agency caters to a wide range of newspapers, including small and medium newspapers, whose survival would be in jeopardy if the takeover goes through.

Among others who addressed the rally were N D Pancholi of PUCL, social activist Krishna Sharma and Canara Bank Employees' Union's Ashwini Rana.

UNI

Related Stories