The Editors Guild of India on Thursday expressed concern about “high-handed” and “arbitrary” police action which has interrupted the work of journalists reporting on the coronavirus outbreak in many parts of the country.
In a statement, the Guild said the job of the police was notto impede journalists’ work, especially under the current circumstances, but tofacilitate their functioning.
“The State and Union Territory governments and the policealso need to be reminded that media has been exempted as an essential serviceunder the current lockdown guidelines of the Union Home Ministry,” thestatement said.
The Guild urged all law enforcement agencies to let themedia play its role as smoothly as possible.
“It also urges the government to put in place a suitablemechanism to facilitate minister-level regular briefings during the ongoingcoronavirus crisis, so that communication does not suffer as it doesn’t givethe media adequate opportunity to ask questions,” the statement said.
It expressed concern about “high-handed and arbitrary policeaction” that “has obstructed many journalists from reporting on the coronavirusoutbreak in many parts of the country”.
“Such action is self-defeating when media freedoms arecritically important for covering the outbreak and the state response,” thestatement said.