APCU celebrates National Press Day, felicitates senior scribes in Guwahati

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: National Press Day was observed on Tuesday at Gauhati Press Club with a day-long programme organized by the Assam Press Correspondents' Union (APCU) central committee, in association with APCU Kamrup (metro) committee.

The programme began with flag hoisting by APCU central committee president Abdul Khalek. The programme was inaugurated by APCU central committee working president Mousamjyoti Baishya and general secretary Sarat Senchowa. They offered smriti tarpan to the 32 journalists who had been killed by insurgents and miscreants since 1991. The APCU demanded justice for the 32 slain journalists and stringent punishment for the culprits. The union lamented that the culprits had not been booked as yet and demanded a proper inquiry into all the killings.

In the open session, four senior journalists were felicitated for their contribution to journalism and photojournalism. They are Ramlal Sinha, Executive Editor (The Sentinel); Biswajit Das, Executive Editor (Asomiya Khabar); photojournalist of Asomiya Pratidin, Chinmoy Roy; and senior journalist of Hajo, Samin Kalita.

State Revenue and Disaster Management Department Minister Jogen Mohan released a souvenir titled Abirata Jatra. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that media and journalists had a crucial role to play in nation-building. He also said that the media helped the government in many ways. "On the basis of news reports, I have taken action against some Circle Officers and mandals," he said.

Abirata Jatra has been edited by Abdul Latif Sarkar.

Ramlal Sinha, Executive Editor of The Sentinel, while addressing the gathering, said that mainstream media had more credibility than social media because news on mainstream media is checked and verified many times before being published or aired. But anyone can post anything on social media without verifying the facts.

Some students of journalism and mass communication of Cotton University had also attended the programme. Ramlal Sinha urged the new generation of media persons to work sincerely in the field of journalism. Biswajit Das, Executive Editor of Asomiya Khabar spoke about his decades-long journey as a journalist and shared his experiences with the gathering. National Press Day is observed on November 16 every year to commemorate the institution of the Press Council of India. The theme of this year's celebration is 'Who is not afraid of media?'.

Also Read: Assam Press Correspondents' Union to felicitate senior scribes on National Press Day

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