Friday, March 27, was the very bad day for those working for DawnNews as the organization has laid off 76 of its people across the country including Karachi.
The Secretary of the Karachi Press Club, Mr. A.H. Khanzada is among those laid off by the DawnNews TV channel. Many of the journalists had received the termination letter by courier in the morning. They felt the way they were laid off humiliating.
The ruthless action by the DawnNews management has spread the wave of anger among the journalists.
It is not the first time that the owners of the news organization have carried out the “economic murder” of journalists. A little bit earlier, many journalists have been laid off by AAJ TV, Geo TV, daily Al-Sharq and the daily Aaj-kal.
A couple of day, 30 newsmen, laid off by the Aaj-kal, staged a protest demonstration over the economic murder of newsmen. They asked the government to intervene.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and Karachi Union of Journalists have not issued any statement on this issue so far.
Journalists staged a protest in front of the Karachi Press Club on Friday, April 3, 2009, against the laying off the employees from electronic and print media.
The protest was organized by the Karachi Press Club while journalists belonging to both the factions of the Karachi Union of Journalists i.e. Burna and Dastoor, participated in the protest. The participation jointly by the members of two KUJs showed the unity of journalists and seriousness of the issue.
They held placards and banners condemning the management of those institutions from where the newsmen were laid off. They vowed to wage struggle for the just rights.