Banke, February 1:

Journalists in the district today said they could feel safe to some extent if they carried out their works abiding by the journalist’s code of conduct.

Sharing their plight to the members of Media Mission of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) in Nepalgunj today, the journalists regretted that they had become targets of some people affiliated with different political parties and from some mediapersons who were misusing journalism.

The mission arrived in Nepalgunj to take stock of the security situation of journalists following the killing of Janakpur-based journalist Uma Singh.

“During the conflict, we used to spare ourselves by writing stories as per the versions of the Maoists, security forces and different political parties. Now, it also doesn’t work. We are constantly getting threats from different Tarai outfits and Maoists over the news published and disseminated through different media,” they said.

Local journalists also said the words like ‘Madhesi’ and ‘Pahadi’ had been making it difficult for them while preparing news reports.

“We have stopped writing investigative news and news triggering public debates because we don’t want to risk our lives,” they said, requesting the FNJ to act immediately when journalists get threats rather than launching agitations after they are killed.

Jhalak Gaire, chairman of the Banke chapter of FNJ, slammed the government for not taking initiatives to ensure the security of journalists. “The present situation is no different for journalists than the insurgency days,” he added.