KATHMANDU: Journalists and various stakeholders have pointed out the need to make online media qualitative and professional.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Journalists Association for Tourism-Nepal (JAT-N) in the Capital on Wednesday to welcome the newly-formed Online Journalists Association Nepal (OJAN), the participants stressed on taking effective steps to end the bad practices surfaced in the online media recently.

They expressed the belief that online media could be an effective platform to promote tourism if utilised in a proper and efficient way by tourism entrepreneurs as the media is an effective means to disseminate information to the international community in an easiest way.

Ramesh Dhamala, Chairman of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal, said that online media should prioritise the promotion of tourism.

Dipak Mahat, Chairman of the JAT-N underscored the need to make online media, being developed as an effective means of communication, qualitative and professional.

Mukunda Dhungana, Chairman of the OJAN, said that online media are means to disseminate information and news instantly and efforts were on to manage the media effectively and in an organised way.

He said that the total 220 news portals have been registered with the Press Council Nepal and preparations are underway to bring other hundreds of news portals operating illegally in the country under the legal process.