ITANAGAR, 16 Feb: Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) President Amar Sangno was on Thursday felicitated by the state’s media fraternity on his receiving the state gold medal during the 74th Republic Day celebration for his sustained dedication and commitment towards promoting freedom of the press in the state.
Sangno will officially receive the award during the Statehood Day celebration on 20 February.
The felicitation programme was organised by the APUWJ and the Arunachal Press Club (APC) at the press club here on Thursday.
Addressing the gathering, Sangno said that the recognition by the state government for his work “is something that brings more responsibility to me.”
“To achieve such recognition, one has to be dedicated and true to the profession. Moreover, a journalist should stick to media ethics and act upon it in the true sense,” he said.
Sangno added that “the recognition could not be achieved without the support of the members of the working journalists of the state.”
He dedicated his award to the entire media fraternity, and said that he hopes to see more such medals being awarded to the budding journalists of the state.
“Any recognition of a journalist by the state government or any recognised organisation for his/her work is a huge responsibility. Such recognition inspires as well as shoulders more responsibility to work better in the field of journalism,” he said.
On the sideline of the function, Sangno said that “the prime concern of any journalist in the state is job security.”
“Journalism is vulnerable in terms of life and job security,” he said, and appealed to the state’s journalists to “carry forward positive works.”
He said that the APUWJ has always been working for the welfare of the working journalists in the state. “There are challenges in the profession and the work of the union, but somehow the union has lived up to the expectations of the journalists,” he said.
Expressing appreciation for Sangno’s leadership skills and work ethics, APC President Dodum Yangfo said that other journalists should draw inspiration from Sangno.
“Such recognition for a journalist is something that needs to be earned,” he said.
Yangfo said also that “recognition for any journalist by the state is decided based not only on their journalism but also includes other activities for the welfare of the media fraternity.”
APUWJ General Secretary Sonam Jelly, APC Vice President Bengia Ajum, and APC General Secretary Damien Lepcha congratulated Sangno for the well-deserved recognition, and wished him the best in all his future endeavours, especially in the field of journalism.
