Mediamen take out rally against UNI takeover bid

New Delhi, Nov 7: Hundreds of journalists and non-journalists from different media organisations took out a rally today, seeking the government's immediate intervention to prevent a media group from acquiring controlling stakes in the United News of India news agency.

The mediamen marched to Shastri Bhawan, housing the office of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, and submitted a memorandum to the Ministry.

Carrying placards, ''Say no to individual control of UNI,'' and ''Prevent assault on the freedom of the press'', they criticised the UNI management for its ''highhanded'' methods adopted against the workers.

The protesters also held a sit-in in front of the I and B Ministry.

Addressing the gathering, leaders of employees of major media organisations alleged the UNI management had been continously tightening its ''repressive measures'' on the employees fighting to save the ''neutral, independent and cooperative character of the news agency.'' The rally was organised by the Delhi Union of Journalists, the Confederation of Journalist and Non-Journalist Employees' Organisations, PTI Employees Federation and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the UNI Employees.

The memorandum took strong exception to the suspension of three JAC members in Delhi and the ''punitive'' transfer of the UNI Federation General Secretary in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said the move by the media group to take control of the agency was a threat to the jobs of UNI employees and the freedom of the press.

''There is concern that this deal has been made not for any laudable interest in developing the news agency as an enterprise, but solely to acquire a piece of prime land in the centre of Delhi.

Journalists fear that the agency's independence-- secured for the present in its status as a trust-- may be under threat. Only the timely intervention of the authorities in this matter can prevent the fears of media employees from being realised,'' IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said in his three-page letter.

UNI

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