Don't share on social media: Newspaper distributors
Source: The Sangai Express
Tbl/Kak, May 22 2020:
Newspaper hawkers' associations and union have appealed All Manipur Working Journalists' Union and media houses to check sharing of newspapers in PDF format on WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms and messengers.
Concerned that sharing of the newspapers in PDF format via the social media platforms have negative impact on their newspaper distribution, Thoubal District Newspaper Hawker Association, Kakching Hawker Association, All Mayang Imphal Newspaper Hawkers' Union and Tiddim Road Newspaper Distributors' Association, in separate statements today, said they would be forced to stop newspaper distribution if their appeals are not heard and addressed by the end of May.
The associations said they would be forced to stop distributing newspapers from June 1 onward if the sharing of the papers in PDF format is not checked/curbed by May 30/31 .
The associations pointed out that such practice of sharing newspapers in PDF format is one of the reasons for dwindling number of subscribers.
They will not distribute those particular newspapers whose PDF formats are shared over the social media platforms, said the associations suggesting media houses to take legal action against those found sharing the same.
Further, the associations appealed for measures that would enable only the media fraternity to download PDF format of the newspapers from the media houses' websites.
Those other than media fraternity should not be able to download the PDF format newspapers from the websites of the media houses, they said.
Expressing that the hawkers are facing problems when collecting monthly bills from the subscribers due to confusion borne out of less number of pages printed during the lockdown due to coronavirus, the associations urged media houses to clarify over the issue (less number of printed pages) .