NWMI Issues New Guidelines to Promote Equity in Newsrooms

Source- This post on NWMI Issues New Guidelines to Promote Equity in Newsrooms has been created based on the article “NWMI issues guidelines to boost equity in newsrooms” published in “The Hindu” on 17 August 2024.

Why in News?

Recently, NWMI issued new guidelines to promote equity in newsrooms.

About the guidelines:

1. NWMI has released guidelines to improve workplace conditions in newsrooms across India.

2. It focuses on ensuring safety, equity, and protection of journalists’ rights.

3. It identified common Issues such as:

i) Widespread workplace humiliation and harassment.

ii) Tolerance of abusive behavior from senior staff, often excused by past experiences.

iii) Disparaging comments based on personal attributes like caste, gender, and sexuality.

iv) Women and LGBTQIA+ individuals often face the most severe attacks.

4. Work Hours and Overtime:

i) Adherence to the Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code, 2020 is emphasized.

ii) Journalists should work no more than 144 hours over four consecutive weeks. A mandatory day off each week.

iii)  Overtime should be recognized for any work beyond the specified limit.

5. Salary and Leave Recommendations:

i)  Ensure fair and regular salaries for all employees.

ii) Provide a minimum of 30 days of paid leave annually, covering earned leave, casual leave, sick leave, festival leave.

iii) Include health-related leave, such as mental health and menstrual leave.

iv) Comply with legal provisions for maternity, paternity, and childcare leave.

6. Human Resources and Grievance Redressal:

i) Establish independent, professional Human Resources departments.

ii)  Set up internal committees to address sexual harassment, as legally required.

iii)  Implement grievance redressal mechanisms to handle toxic behavior complaints.

iv) Ensure confidentiality in grievance processes with neutral fact-finding procedures.

v) Enforce a zero-tolerance policy for toxic behavior, with disciplinary action against violators, regardless of position or popularity.

UPSC Syllabus: Polity and nation