Women Journalists Seek Stronger Safeguards
TUWJ Women Journalists Meet I&PR Special Commissioner, Seek Stronger Safeguards in Media Accreditation Rules
Hyderabad: Members of Women Working Journalists Welfare Committee – Telangana Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ) on Monday met the Special Commissioner of Telangana’s Information & Public Relations (I&PR) Department, Smt. C.H. Priyanka, IAS, and submitted a representation seeking the inclusion of women journalists’ welfare and safety provisions in the proposed Telangana Media Accreditation Rules.
The delegation, comprising Kalyanam Rajeswari, Manjula Vaka, Prathibha, Yashoda and Surya Kumari, explained that while the Government Order dated 22 December 2025 speaks about framing new Media Accreditation Rules, it does not clearly mention the existing reservation for women journalists or the specific issues faced by them in the profession.
The TUWJ Women Committee said women journalists working in print, electronic and digital media continue to face several challenges, including lack of safety during night shifts, absence of transport facilities, weak implementation of POSH guidelines, health and security concerns, and limited representation in accreditation and other decision-making committees.
The committee demanded that the existing reservation for women journalists in media accreditation must be clearly retained and not diverted to male journalists under any circumstances. They also requested that women journalists working on editorial and feature desks be given special consideration for accreditation, as many women are engaged in desk-based journalism.
Other key demands included making POSH compliance mandatory for media organisations, linking accreditation to gender-sensitive workplace practices, and ensuring better representation of women in media-related statutory and advisory bodies.
The delegation informed the Special Commissioner that an earlier representation highlighting these concerns had also been submitted to Sri K. Sreenivas Reddy, Chairman, Telangana Media Academy,.
The TUWJ Women Working Journalists Welfare Committee expressed hope that the Telangana government would address these concerns and ensure that the new Media Accreditation Rules create a safer, fairer and more supportive environment for women journalists in the State. (Story: Women Journalists Seek Stronger Safeguards)
