The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, or Unesco, has called for South Asian governments to “recognise” journalists as frontline workers and "prioritise their well-being”, in a press release issued on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on Tuesday.
The statement paid tribute to journalists who lost their lives due to Covid and took note of other challenges faced by journalists in South Asian countries due to the pandemic. Citing data from the International Federation of Journalists and the Press Emblem Campaign, the statement said at least 300 journalists died of Covid in South Asia, and 284 media workers died in India alone.
