GUWAHATI, Nov 23 � The State conference on �Combating Impunity and Promoting Safety of Journalists� held today has recommended setting up of a national alliance of media to chalk out an action plan on the safety of media workers, journalists and owners.
The conference, organised by the Journalists� Union of Assam (JUA) and the North East Newspaper Society at Guwahati Press Club here on the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity, also suggested that an Eminent Group of Journalists (EGJ) should be formed to serve as the mediation platform between media workers and media owners as well as between media and the government authorities and Parliament to forge a consensus on the issue of safety and promote practical useful steps to reduce the risks for media.
The meet presided over by veteran journalist Baikuntha Nath Goswami was addressed by many speakers including DN Chakravartty, GL Agarwala and JUA president Geetartha Pathak and general secretary Bedabrata Lahkar.
The meet insisted that the Government appoint a Special Prosecutor to exclusively take up cases of attacks on media and media workers to ensure justice and accountability.
The meet also called for proposing a Journalist Safety Bill in Parliament for enactment into law, establishing a media legal aid fund to make resources available to journalists to invoke legal processes to pursue justice, besides converting press clubs and media centres into resource hubs on safety of journalists providing training, tools and technical resources.
The meet urged the Government to provide justice to the families of the 23 journalists killed so far in the State. The meet observed a minute�s silence as a mark of respect to the slain journalists.
