ITANAGAR, 5 Jan: The Arunachal Press Club (APC) on Monday held its first coordination meeting with the presidents and general secretaries of district press clubs (DPCs) affiliated to it, at the mini conference hall here, with the aim of strengthening coordination and addressing issues affecting press clubs at the district level.
The meeting focused on familiarising the district representatives with the functioning, roles and responsibilities of press clubs, while also identifying issues faced by the DPCs that require intervention from the APC and the Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ).
Chaired by APC President Amar Sangno, the meeting was attended by APUWJ General Secretary Sonam Jelly, along with executive members of both the APC and the APUWJ. The participating district press clubs included the Ziro Press Club, Aalo Press Club, Raga Press Club, Pasighat Press Club, and Seppa Press Club.
During the deliberations, the district presidents highlighted common challenges faced across districts, including inadequate communication from district administrations regarding government programmes and activities, lack of clarity on registration of media houses under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) or MSME, and the need for updated guidelines to suit the present functioning of district press clubs.
Responding to concerns over poor communication, Sangno assured that the APC and the APUWJ would soon write to the respective deputy commissioners, district information and public relations officers (DIPROs) and superintendents of police to ensure that all government-related communications – such as press conferences, media interactions and information dissemination – are routed through the district press clubs. He added that the state government has already issued an order in this regard, which will be forwarded along with a formal communication from the APC and the APUWJ.
On the issue of media house registration, Sangno informed that, as per the state government’s recently announced advertising policy, media outlets seeking empanelment and government advertisements must be registered with the MCA or the MIB. He urged the district representatives to disseminate this information among affiliated media houses, and advised them to complete the registration process by March 2026.
Sangno informed also that the APC and the APUWJ would convene a general meeting in the near future to sensitise members to issues related to reporting during VVIP visits to districts. He clarified that, while the club and the union cannot frame rules in such matters, they can play an important role in guiding and sensitising journalists.
Emphasising the need to avoid conflict of interest, Sangno made it clear that owners of media houses cannot hold positions such as president, general secretary or executive member of district press clubs. He appealed to all DPCs to adhere to the same criteria followed by the APC and the APUWJ.
APUWJ General Secretary Sonam Jelly urged the district press clubs to strengthen their membership and enhance coordination in information dissemination in the larger public interest. He informed that the APUWJ would soon nominate district joint secretaries from among the affiliated DPCs to improve communication and safeguard the welfare of working journalists.
Other issues, including the formulation of suitable guidelines for the effective functioning of district press clubs under present conditions, were also discussed during the meeting.
The meeting was attended by Ziro Press Club President Tailyang Pugang and General Secretary Mihin Nency; Aalo Press Club President Domin Ete; Raga Press Club President Biku Aka; Pasighat Press Club President Maksam Tayeng and General Secretary Mingkeng Osik; and Seppa Press Club President Sime Lochung, among others.
