They say, ‘everything comes at a cost’ and the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic surely demanded that price from the journalists of the country. Journalists, who were continuously at the forefront throughout the pandemic have paid a heavy price for their service. According to a recent study, over 300 journalists in India have lost their lives due to the virus since the pandemic started.
Despite being constantly on the field during the ongoing pandemic, journalists were mostly not considered as frontline workers and were not given priority in the vaccination drive of the country. Although, priority inoculation of doctors, health workers, and policemen showed a positive impact and reduced the deaths of frontline workers during the second deadly wave of the pandemic, but journalists weren’t fortunate enough.
As per the report by the Institute of Perception Studies, it was found that the first wave of the pandemic, from April to December 2020, killed 56 journalists. In comparison, the second wave claimed the lives of 171 journalists between April 1, 2021, and May 16, 2021. The remaining 11 journalists died between January and April.
For the media industry, the second wave is far more devastating than the first one. Apart from the 238 deaths listed by the Institute of Perception Studies, the institute has 82 other names that are yet to be verified. The study has also included those journalists as well who died after getting infected while covering news in the field or working in offices.