Zee News' spirit high, fearless journalism to continue even as 29 employees test coronavirus positive

NEW DELHI: Zee Media, one of the country’s biggest media houses, said on Monday that the spirit of its workforce remains high and the channel will continue its pursuit of ''fearless journalism'' even after 29 of its employees were found infected with the coronavirus.

Zee Media issued a statement in which it prayed for the speedy recovery of 29 Zee Warriors who displayed great strength of their character and dedication to their work in the challenging times of the coronavirus pandemic.

Zee News Editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary, in his highly popular sow DNA, also lashed out at trolls and critics who, instead of praying for the early recovery of its 29 fighters, appeared to be more interested in gossip-mongering what will happen to Zee News now and how will it run its news operation in the wake of coronavirus attack on its newsroom.     

Replying to the trolls, the channel said neither it will stop, nor it will fear anybody and its pursuit of fearless reporting on issues of national interest will continue come what may.   

On behalf of the channel, its editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary issued a statement in which he informed viewers that 28 Zee News employees have tested positive for COVID-19 following the mass testing after one of its employees tested positive on Friday.

Adding that the COVID-19 testing of the rest of the employees will continue, the channel said, "These are challenging times but COVID-19 has not been able to shake the morale of the team. Zee Media is raring to go, as always. We assure our viewers that our fearless coverage will continue. Such challenges will not be able to break our resolve to discharge our duties with utmost sincerity and unmatched passion. We wish all our employees a speedy recovery."

Chaudhury also took to Twitter and said, "These are difficult times. 28 of my colleagues at @ZeeNews have tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully all of them are fine, mostly asymptomatic. I wish them a speedy recovery and salute their courage & professionalism."

He also stated, ''Team @ZeeNews is on the frontline, while social media stone pelters spread rumours. Those who are infected had the option of sitting at home & sharing memes. They came to work because they’re committed professionals. If you can’t show them respect, don’t expose your spiteful selves!''

Team @ZeeNews is on the frontline, while social media stone pelters spread rumours. Those who are infected had the option of sitting at home & sharing memes.They came to work because they’re committed professionals.If you can’t show them respect,don’t expose your spiteful selves! — Sudhir Chaudhary (@sudhirchaudhary) May 18, 2020

The Zee News team has been shifted to an alternative facility for the time being and the office, newsroom, and studios have been sealed for sanitisation, said the statement.

"We are following the best practices to break the cycle and contain the infection in coordination with all government and health authorities. All health protocols and official guidelines are being followed," they said.

The channel noted that they have 2,500 employees and that they are committed to the safety of each one of them.