Report of the Sub-Committee on Retrenchment of Journalists During COVID- 19

This report has been drafted by a sub-committee created by the Press Council of India (PCI) to study the retrenchment and job losses of journalists during the Covid-19 pandemic. It evaluates the period between March 2020 and February 2021. The sub-committee was first formed on December 10, 2020 but its existence lapsed by October 2021. It was later re-constituted with a mix of old and new members on May 26, 2023.The report details the work of the committee, from its inception to how its members approached the issue at hand. Data was requested from various employer organisations through questionnaires, labour commissioners were contacted through letters. Affected journalists were contacted through in-person testimonials and online forms where approximately 50 responses being gathered. The questions pertained to their retrenchment experiences, financial and emotional states, and their current employment statuses.Some notable recommendations made to improve journalists’ job security include the provision of insurance for journalists; provision of safety gear when necessary; easy access to benefits and entitlements; and implementation of steps to protect the mental health of journalists.This 22-page document is divided into nine sections: Terms of reference (Section 1); History (Section 2); First round of letters (Section 3); Mode of gathering information (Section 4); Letter to labour commissioners (Section 5); Testimonials from public hearings (Section 6); Trends and findings (Section 7); Recommendations (Section 8); and Further research (Section 9).