Shivamogga
The district unit of the Karnataka Union of Working Journalists Association (KUWJ) is actively working for the welfare and professional upliftment of journalists in the district. But recently self-interested journalists have tried to create confusion among journalist members and public by creating an alternative organization in the name of Association, said KUWJState Committee Director N Ravikumar (telex).
Speaking at the press conference, he said that the KUWJ is the only organization of journalists recognized by the state government, and in the district, it has 300 members of journalists and is carrying out its organizational activities under the conventional name of ‘District Working Journalists Association’. Membership is being offered to working journalists as per the bylaws of the state association. But some journalists, who are upset that they should always be in the status of the organization, denied the membership of the association and accused that they have carried out factionalism in the district journalist group by separately creating an alternative organization in the name of ‘District Working Journalist Association’.
Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, the king of Mysore state, as the patron, Karnataka Working Journalists Association was established in 1932 with famous writer and journalist DV Gundappa as the founder presiden. KUWJ is registered with the Labour Department under the Labour Act and the state wide bylaws of the association and the district branches are operating as per the rules and regulations on the basis of the Labour Department registration. are being conducted. Accordingly, district branch of KUWJ has been carrying out responsible activities like implementation of programmes for the welfare of journalists by the government, intellectual upliftment through award programmes, conferences and workshops to encourage professional skills among journalists for forty years. He said that the group that lost in the democratic elections has been trying unsuccessfully to divide the association since 2014 and as part of its progress, it has now come under the name of ‘District Working Journalists Association’.
 The original bye-law of Press Trust, which was created under the umbrella of the KUWJ, was illegally amended through criminal conspiracy. Earlier, an interim judgment in the District Collector’s Court came in favour of the Journalists’ Association. Currently this dispute is in civil court. I am confident that there will be justice. The press house, which was built with the wishes of all the journalists of the district, is being misused as the property of a few people. Legal action will be taken for misusing the name of Association of Working Journalists. N Ravikumar said that they will not allow the machinations of those who are ganged up due to power and frustration to break the union. N Ravikumar said that the journalists’ union working in the district is safe under the leadership of district president KV Shivakumar, general secretary VT Arun and other office bearers.
 RS Halaswamy, the vice president of the association, said that the district branch of the KUWJ was carrying out activities under the name ‘Shivamogga District Working Journalists’ Association. The fact that it is some alternative organization with the same name shows their intellectual ignorance. No matter how many organizations are born for the betterment of journalists, there is no mistake. But hijacking the name of an association is an act of desperation that creates confusion, he said.
KUWJ District Vice President Vaidya (Malenadu Mitra), KS Huchrayappa (Janahorata), General Secretary VT Arun (Shivamogga Times), Treasurer SR Ranjith (Navik), Secretaries Deepak Sagar (Vijayavani), KR Somanath (Hosadiganta), GR Srinivas (Suryagagana), State Committee Special Invitee G Padmanabh (Chhaladanka Malla) were present.
