SPEAKER after speaker called for unity among the journalists fraternity to fight the onslaught of the Chandrasekhar Rao government which was threatening the freedom of press.

The speakers lambasted the TRS government for adopting a dictatorial attitude towards the journalists at a round table meeting on "Government's attitude towards media and journalists" at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram in Hyderabad on August 11.

The meeting was attended by senior journalists representing different working journalists unions, trade union leaders, women activists and NGOs. The meeting took strong objection to the remarks made by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at a news conference recently against the Nava Telangana newspaper in particular and media in general and condemned the attacks on journalists including the recent one at CM’s residence, Pragati Bhavan, wherein one TV reporter was roughed up by the police.

The meeting warned that the journalists would take up the issue seriously if the chief minister who himself holds the information and public relations portfolio did not change his stance towards journalists. The meeting advised the chief minister to take up media criticism against his government in his stride as it was part of the prerogative of the media.