KATHMANDU

On the occasion of Nepal National Water and Weather Week – 2023, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the Nepal Forum of Science Journalists (NFSJ) and Small Earth Nepal (SEN), organised a dialogue on the "Role of Media in Communicating Science to the Public" on 21 March within the premise of UN House.

The dialogue focused on the critical role and contribution of the media in reporting water-related issues in Nepal. It emphasized the significance of communication between different stakeholders in bridging the gap between science and the public, thereby combating misinformation and disinformation in science reporting.

Programme Coordinator Niranjan Bista from SEN highlighted the role of stakeholders including the media in bridging the existing gap between science and the public. He also briefed the theme of the Nepal National Water and Weather Week – 2023.

Chhatra Karki, programme director and founding president of NFSJ, presented the challenges and opportunities in science based journalism. He stated that while science journalists play a crucial role in disseminating scientific knowledge to the public, most media houses do not have a dedicated science journalist. He further appealed to academicians and researchers to share their research with journalists to bridge the gap between science researchers and science journalists.

The panel session featured Dr Jagadishwor Karmarcharya, Joint-Secretary, Water Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS); Dr Dhiraj Pradhananga, President, SEN; Dr Ram Devi Tachamo, Assistant Professor, Kathmandu University; Dr Santosh Nepal, Senior Researcher, International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Rajan Pokhrel, President, NFSJ, and Editor, The Himalayan Times. The panel discussion was moderated by Sijal Pokharel, Natural Science Officer from UNESCO.

Associate Professor, Tribhuvan University and also the UNESCO Chair in Mountain Water Sustainability, Pradhananga stated that 'useful' knowledge products are available, but they are not 'usable,' and stressed in the importance of making evidence based scientific knowledge more accessible to the public.

Meanwhile, Dr Karmacharya highlighted the importance of active media participation during knowledge dissemination sessions organized by governmental bodies like WECS.

NFSJ President Pokhrel pointed out that academicians should help journalists simplify scientific jargons for a wider public reach. Dr Tachamo agreed that academicians and journalists need to complement each other and expressed the need to move towards a more solution-oriented reporting. Furthermore, Nepal emphasized that issues related to water disaster are often highlighted seasonally and stressed in the importance of writing about these issues before disaster takes place. The panel was in consensus that strong communication needs to be established between academicians, policy makers and journalists on issues related to scientific research and findings.

NNWWW is an annual national level event organized jointly by a network of key stakeholders in the water sector in Nepal to commemorate the World Water Day on March 22, and World Meteorological Day on March 23, in Nepal. This unique forum was initiated in 2009 with the effort and contribution of various organizations in collaboration with and coordination of Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), the Government of Nepal.