BHUBANESWAR: Chairman of the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) Justice Satrughana Pujahari has called upon media professionals to unite and address the challenges facing the industry.
Speaking at a function jointly organised by the National Journalist Welfare Board (NJWB) and central government bodies like PIB, CBC and AMIT on Sunday, he criticised media owners for seeking independence of the press through the Supreme Court while often neglecting the welfare of journalists.
“At present, no one reads positive news, everyone seeks negative and sensational stories,” Justice Pujahari said further pointing out the lack of genuine respect for individual independence and right to information.
State Law Commission chairman Justice Biswanath Rath urged journalists to highlight problems faced by citizens before the government for prompt resolution. NJWB chairman Dipak Malavya emphasised the need for newspapers to align with readers’ interests.
During the event, Utkal Sambadika Samman-2025 was conferred on Pramod Kumar Mohapatra, former editor of The Samaja. This apart, 35 scribes above the age group of 65 years received token pensions while eight top-performing journalism students were felicitated. Editors from states including Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Mumbai received the Rashtriya Sambadika Gouraba Samman.
Journalists from Odisha reiterated their demand for a state-level pension scheme, which exists in over 20 other states. “We have been demanding a journalist pension for a decade, and hope the newly-formed BJP government will implement it,” said NJWB vice-president Pradumnya Kumar Mohanty.
Development commissioner Anu Garg and additional chief secretary, Information and Public Relations Hemant Sharma were present among others.