In a message released on Sunday, the mayor of Qom Dr. Seyyed Morteza Saghaiannejad has offered his congratulations on the National Journalists’ Day.
On the eve of August 8, the martyrdom anniversary of Mahmoud Saremi and the Journalist Day, Dr. Saghaiannejad congratulated those who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of truth for the benefit of the nation.
He described the national journalists’ day as a day of commemorating precious values like truth-seeking and awareness raising.
He also appreciated the journalists who do not spare any effort to raise the level of public awareness, saying informing people the truth is a significant and sacred task.
“At a time when fake news and false accounts are targeting the people’s hope and trust, we are more than ever in need of a relentless pursuit of reality, awareness raising and unbiased account of events,” the mayor added.
He finally expressed hope that in the new era of urban management, as in the past, journalists will interact with the municipal complex to reflect urban affairs well.
August 8 has been designated National Journalists’ Day in Iran after Taliban militants in Afghanistan killed Mahmoud Saremi, the correspondent of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), along with eight Iranian diplomats, at the Iranian consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998.
Since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, over 30 journalists and media workers have lost their lives in the war-ravaged country.