Journalists from Small Newspapers Mobilize Against Public Relations Commissioner

*Bhopal (Saifuddin Saifi):* For a long time, owners and journalists of small newspapers in Madhya Pradesh have been voicing their displeasure and raising questions about the advertising policy of the state government’s Directorate of Public Relations. However, the state government has still not created any policy or system to help the owners of over 5,000 small newspapers in the state continue their publications smoothly.

During the previous Shivraj government, small newspapers that were not on the Public Relations list used to regularly receive 4 to 5 government advertisements per year. But since Mohan Yadav’s government came to power, newspapers outside the list are now getting government ads only on 15 August and 26 January. As a result, the families of 5,000 journalists in the state are facing a crisis of livelihood.

Neither the Chief Minister nor the officers sitting in the Directorate of Public Relations seem concerned about finding a solution. Ironically, the very representatives of the government who rely on these “fourth pillar of democracy” to cover their events are now unwilling to listen to their demands and voices.

Journalists who have been continuously pleading with the Public Relations Commissioner, who took charge 3 months ago, to provide advertisements, are now planning to soon launch a direct fight against the government and administration over their issue.