Early Covid-19 vaccination will help media at work - journalist groups

 

As medical frontliners continue to battle the daily toll of Covid-19 over the past year, journalists and media practitioners were also among those who remained in the field even as others were forced into lockdown.

The risks of Covid-19 infection were at times unavoidable, particularly during periods registering a high number of daily cases.

As such, various groups representing journalists today welcomed the news that the government would consider including media practitioners as frontliners eligible for early Covid-19 vaccination.

The National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJM) was the first to appeal for media practitioners to be considered for inclusion in the initial 500,000 vaccine doses to be administered beginning at the end of this month.

With over 700 members across several major newspapers, NUJM president Farah Marshita Abdul Patah said receiving early vaccination would greatly assist journalists at work.

"Being vaccinated would allow media practitioners to carry out their duties with ease, facilitating the newsgathering process," she told Malaysiakini.

While journalists could in most circumstances still work from home or at a safer distance, news photographers are required to get as close as possible to their subjects even in the most challenging of conditions.

Photo collective The Biddy's, representing Malaysian news photographers, also welcomed any effort to prioritise vaccination for their members and others in the field.

"Since last year, many of our members had to undergo multiple Covid-19 screenings after covering high-risk areas or being caught in close contact," they said.

The Institute of Journalists Malaysia (IOJM) said the media industry had so far taken proactive protective measures, even footing the costs of Covid-19 screening without much support from the public sector.

"If journalists are relegated to later phases of the vaccination process, the months of vulnerability will adversely affect the media industry socially and economically.

"Journalists play an essential role in the dissemination of vital news to the public besides combatting misinformation which has worsened alongside the pandemic," it said in a statement.

"To note, even if journalists are vaccinated, the IOJM reminds them to practise standard operating procedures like wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing and avoiding unnecessary risks," added the group whose members comprise reporters, management staff and others from the media industry.

Media advocacy group Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) said early vaccination for media workers could also assist the government's efforts to encourage vaccination and achieve herd immunity.

"Granting early vaccination for the media could help to combat the narrative against vaccines, with more information being distributed to counter any untrue statements, not only via published reports but also through their (the media's) public interactions," said Geramm.

Aside from welcoming the move, the Foreign Correspondents Club of Malaysia expressed hope for greater engagement with the government.

"We also hope that the media will be granted direct reporting access to matters relating to the vaccine so that we will be able to provide comprehensive coverage on this latest measure," it said.

In East Malaysia, Federation of Sarawak Journalists Association president Jacqueline David said some 150 members statewide have submitted their names to the state government to be included in the early vaccination plan.

A similar process was also being coordinated by the Sabah Journalists Association under its president Mugunthan Vanar.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said this morning that elected representatives will be among the first recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine under Phase 1 of the vaccination programme which kicks off on Feb 26.

Muhyiddin announced this after unveiling the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Guidebook.

Of the 500,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine to be administered in Phase 1, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that 300,000 will be reserved for medical frontliners.

The other 200,000 vaccines would be allocated for non-medical frontliners like security personnel, welfare officials and politicians.

Aside from the groups mentioned above, Muhyiddin also said the government was open to considering requests from other groups like media workers and teachers to be vaccinated under Phase 1. - Mkini