KATHMANDU: President of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Govinda Acharya, has said that seven percent of journalists have lost their job so far due to coronavirus.

This number of journalists has lost their jobs in short period of coronavirus infection due mainly to the ‘non-professionalism’ of the media houses of the country.

A mission team of FNJ has been mobilized across the nation to assess the situation after journalists and media houses of the country were affected due to coronavirus.

Acharya  shared that five radio stations have been closed due to the adverse impact of coronavirus.

He further said that a total of 20 journalists tested positive for coronavirus.

Of them, 18 journalists got recovery from the infection.

Saying 700 print media across the nation have been closed in lockdown, Acharya said journalists and media houses have been affected.

The FNJ president opined, “Media persons are in the frontline along with heath workers and security personnel. Journalists are active in making people aware and inform for prevention of the virus.”

Journalists working in big media have been facing problems as compared to small-scale media, added Acharya.

He argued, “Closure of media houses and brain drain of journalists from job means brain drain of persons advocating for people’s right, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”

FNJ President Acharya said the state should address this problem as well as to make media systematic.