Kathmandu, May 31: The Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Raghuji Pant, has said that preserving the dignity of journalism in the current context is a challenge, and therefore, editors need to act more responsibly.
Speaking at a book launch and editors’ dialogue programme organised by Press Council Nepal, Minister Pant said that a strong and effective Press Council is required to monitor the work of journalists.
Launching the book,“History of Nepali Media: From Print to Digital” published by the Press Council Nepal, he suggested that Press Council Nepal should not be doing the job of classifying the newspapers. Instead, the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) should be given that work.
Stating that discussions are continuing on the Media Council Bill as it is also in the Parliament, he said that if the Media Council is formed, its efficiency should be increased, and it should work effectively. “If journalists become responsible, society will also become responsible,” he said.
Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Radhika Aryal, said that the media is a more sensitive profession than others as it is the responsibility of the media to inform the citizens. She said that the ministry is ready to facilitate the work of the media to be responsible and to enhance the capacity of journalists.
Senior journalist Ramkrishna Regmi said that the issue of media freedom is more important than freedom of expression. He said that there is a need for meaningful dialogue to connect the old and new generation of journalists.
He said that although the roles and responsibilities of print, television, radio and news portals have changed over time, the main goal is to inform and raise awareness among readers and listeners.
Bal Krishna Basnet, Chairman of Press Council Nepal, said that the book was published to fill up the lack of a comprehensive media document that could serve as a foundation for understanding the past, present and future within a single book. Previously documented works were categorised by genre and were separate from one another, and many of them lacked an investigative nature.
He said that there has been a lack of comprehensive work that includes investigative topics related to the emerging new media, and the book aims to address that very gap and void.
Press Council Nepal has prepared a comprehensive and research-based book that covers all facets of Nepali media.
The book covers the evolution of Nepali media — from the early days of pamphlets predating Gorkhapatra to the present digital era. It is the result of nearly a year of study and research conducted by seven subject experts.
The Council involved media scholars and university professors specialising in various fields to develop a document that reflects the full historical trajectory of Nepali media. This publication, which incorporates all major media categories, is set to be the first of its kind in Nepal’s media landscape.
The Council has also been publishing an annual English-language media yearbook for the past four years and continues to do so. This publication, brought out by a regulatory and authoritative body, is the first of its kind in English to document each year’s major events, trends, policies, and programmes in the rapidly evolving media sector.
In the programme, President of Federation of Nepali Journalists Nirmala Sharma, Acting Editor-in-Chief of Gorkhapatra Daily Junar Babu Basnet, Kantipur Television Bijay Poudel and other editors from various medias shared their views on Nepali journalism and its challenges and opportunities.
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