Women journalists in Assam announce the formation of forum

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 17, 2024

Women journalists of Assam came together on Saturday to form a network for their professional growth.

The journalists met at the Gauhati Press Club and decided to name the organisation as the Assam Women Journalists’ Forum.

The meeting started by observing a one-minute silence in memory of the doctor who has been raped and murdered at her workplace in Kolkata.

The meeting discussed various issues concerning women media persons and adopted a resolution to form a Forum to interact; build relationships and contacts; and exchange information, experiences and views relating to the profession and society. The organisation will be committed to organising workshops, seminars and tours to enhance the skills of women media persons. The senior members of the Forum will take the initiative of mentoring young entrants to the profession.

It will also strive to ensure both workplace safety and security of women media persons while on field duty as well as commuting to work, particularly during night duty. The organisation will aim to remove newsroom disparities and promote equality at the workplace.

The meeting also decided to register the AWJF as a society and formed a committee. The members of the committee are: president (Durba Ghosh, PTI); vice presidents (Samim Sultana Ahmed, Dainik Agradoot and Afrida Hussain, NE NEWS); general secretary (Nasreen Habib, The Assam Tribune); joint secretaries (Mridusmita Bhuyan, DY365 and Arunima Kalita Medhi, Asomiya Khabar); treasurer (Bidisha Singha, The Assam Tribune); organising secretaries (Tora Agarwala, Independent journalist and Anjumoni Bordoloi, Pratidin Time); oublicity secretaries (Manisha Kalita, Desh Today and Chandrani Sinha, Independent journalist) and seven executive members (Karisma Hasnat (The Print), Barasha Das (Independent journalist), Mitali Konwar (Pratidin Time), Pallavi Saikia (The Sentinel), Garima Sarma (Time8), Nibha Rani Roy (Independent journalist), and Geetasri Talukdar (News18).

It was also decided to form an advisory council comprising senior journalists Maini Mahanta, Anuradha Sarma Pujari, Enaxi Saikia Barua, Sabita Lahkar, Indrani Raimedhi, Ratna Bharali Talukdar, Mubina Akhtar, Monalisa Sarma, Jahnabi Khound, Aloka Baruah, and Swapna Bezbaruah.

The forum appealed to all women journalists of Assam who are currently not a part of the forum to come forward and associate themselves with the organisation, and vowed to continue to promote equality and justice.

The meeting was attended by both senior and mid-level media persons, along with new entrants to the profession from different media houses, including print, electronic, digital as well as independent journalists.