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Shocked at the Times Group’s decision to relaunch its daily tabloid Mumbai Mirror as a weekly and to close down the Pune edition, the Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists (BUJ) that all journalists of the affected publications be absorbed within the Times Group with full continuity of service and other benefits.
“Mumbai Mirror has made a mark in its consistent reportage on issues concerning the city, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic … We demand that not a single working-journalist employee of Mumbai Mirror is retrenched because of this re-organisation,” said the BUJ in a press statement published on December 5, 2020.
They argued that during pandemic times, the Times Group should use its resources to protect news media publications as part of their responsibility towards informing the public. This includes journalists from other Mirror editions in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.
The complete statement of the BUJ is shown below:
Meanwhile, a letter supposedly sent by the paper’s Human Resources department has been circulating among journalist circles. The content acknowledges the contributions of the daily tabloid and laments its closure due to heavy “hits” on revenue. However, the letter adds that Mumbai Mirror will continue to have a strong digital presence.
“Following months of discussions and deliberations, we have made this extremely difficult and painful decision to recalibrate our portfolio of publications … Feisty and fearless, energetic and enthusiastic, playful yet punchy, Mumbai Mirror lived up to its name from the day it was born, mirroring Mumbai in all its myriad moods. It was as local as Mumbai’s locals – the lifeblood that keeps the city on track and moving. The paper became such an integral part of the reader’s life, driving the narrative of the city, that it was decided to extend the experience to Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad … it is with a heavy heart that the group has decided to cease publication of Mirror in Pune and relaunch Mumbai Mirror as a weekly,” said the letter.
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