'EC's move to establish a "Press Office" with Nepali Army and Nepal Police representatives to monitor poll-related content is against press freedom'
SURKHET, OCTOBER 13
Underscoring that biased media reporting can undermine the integrity of elections, acclaimed media advocate and researcher Laxman Datt Pant called on media persons to produce accurate, unbiased and credible news stories and to adhere to the journalistic code of conduct during the upcoming federal and provincial elections.
Pant, Chairperson of Media Action Nepal, said this at a workshop organized in Surkhet, Karnali Province, today on fair media coverage of the upcoming elections. "Journalists have a critical role in ensuring trust among all stakeholders during the time of elections. Thus facts and evidence – not rumours – should guide election reporting," noted Pant, who is one of the co-chairs of the Media Freedom Coalition-Consultative Network, a global forum of civil society organizations that provide advice to the member states of the Media Freedom Coalition.
A total of 21 journalists of Karnali Province participated in the event, the fourth in a series ahead of the federal and provincial elections organized by Media Action Nepal with support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI).
Meanwhile, Pant expressed serious concern over the move of the Election Commission to establish a "Press Office" with representatives from the Nepali Army and Nepal Police to monitor election-related social media materials and news coverage by newspapers, TVs, radios and online media. "Such a decision is against the principles of press freedom," he said.
Another facilitator of the workshop and Editor of The Himalayan Times Rajan Pokhrel said, "Voting is a human right. The upcoming election is an opportunity for journalists to fairly report on any issues that undermine the right to vote and freedom of expression."
Similarly, Editor of Health TV Online Kalpana Acharya said, "Media ethics and the guidelines developed by the Election Commission are a great tool to fight the spread of disinformation and empower voters with accurate, truthful and unbiased information." They must be upheld by journalists in letter and spirit, she noted.
As the country is gearing up for the November 20 elections, the workshop on fair media coverage of the elections is being held in all seven provinces, with four already completed, with an aim at promoting ethical journalism and journalistic code of conduct as well as countering disinformation towards an inclusive and independent media, which is considered critical to guaranteeing free, plural and fair elections.
