Punjab Press Club celebrates World Press Freedom Day

Jalandhar: A poignant event was organised today at the Punjab Press Club in Jalandhar to mark World Press Freedom Day. Journalists gathered to express serious concern over the growing challenges to press freedom. Many speakers stressed the importance of solidarity within the media community to confront these threats.

Addressing the gathering, Punjab Press Club President Satnam Singh Manak said that the press has always faced challenges, and continues to do so today. He said that the dangers faced by journalists worldwide, mentioning the deaths of hundreds of journalists in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts.

He said such circumstances reflect the risks inherent in journalism and called for resilience and courage in addressing them. Manak urged journalists to remain vigilant and committed to their role in safeguarding democracy under the current political climate in India.

Senior Vice President Rajesh Thapa expressed concern over India’s declining rank in the World Press Freedom Index, now at 159th place. He emphasised the need for constant efforts to preserve and protect press freedom in the country.

Journalist Sukrant Safri underlined the need to understand the true meaning of press freedom and said it should be used to serve the public interest and advocate for justice.

Another journalist, Davinder Kumar, pointed to challenges emerging from the practices of the younger generation entering media and suggested organising seminars and experience-sharing sessions with senior journalists to maintain journalistic standards.

Other speakers, including Amarjit Singh, Nitin Kaur, and Sumit Mahindru, shared their views on current issues in journalism and raised certain concerns, which the Club President addressed to their satisfaction.

At the conclusion of the event, Satnam Singh Manak thanked all participating journalists for attending. Notable attendees included Madan Bhardwaj, Tinku Pandit, Rajesh Sharma, Surjit Singh Jandiala, Ram Singh Insaaf, Jasbir Singh Sodhi, Paramjit Singh, Rajesh Gaba, Inderjit Artist, Ajay Kumar, Kulwant Singh Matharu, Harsharan Singh Chawla, Rakesh Boby, Kulpreet Singh, Tajinder Singh, Inderjit Singh, and other prominent media professionals.