The workshop conducted by Media Action Nepal with the support of the Canada Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI), and focused on developing an understanding of the participants on election code of conduct for media and journalism professsionals.
JANAKPUR, SEPTEMBER 30
A workshop for journalists focusing on the importance of fair media coverage during elections was held on Friday in Janakpur of Madhesh Province.
The workshop conducted by Media Action Nepal with the support of the Canada Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI), and focused on developing an understanding of the participants on election code of conduct for media and journalism professsionals.
Inaugurating the workshop, Laxman Datt Pant, Chairperson of Media Action Nepal remarked, "Documenting the election process, reporting the facts in a timely manner, verifying all the information, presenting space to different candidates and remaining neutral by avoiding manipulation is crucial for democratic elections." While writing, the news media should remember that even a small mistake can have a big impact, hence the news should be accurate, fair and credible, Pant added.
Shree Adhikari, a Human Rights mentioned, "All the members of society should receive all information regarding election in all three phases before election, during election and after election and their participation in the voting process should be ensured including those with disabilities."
Similarly, Priyanka Jha, Vice-Chairperson of Media Action Nepal stated, "The media is supposed to maintain equal distance towards all parties in order to correctly exercise its role as a critical observer of the electoral process. She added, "As journalists, it is important to challenge gender stereotypes and cultural conditioning to provide space and time in the media for female candidates."
Shyam Sundar Yadav, Chairperson of Mass Communication Authority of Madhesh Province said, "The situation of journalists of Madhesh province is problematic in terms of professional safety, their representation and representation of their news in the national level media. As we are nearing the election, I hope the workshop has helped you to understand the importance of being fair and transparent."
Meanwhile, Mukesh Kumar Thakur, a participating journalist said, "The training was the need of the time as the election is close. I am thankful to Media Action Nepal for providing us information about the election code of conduct for journalists and reminding us about the responsibilities and duties of journalists while covering the upcoming elections."
It has been learnt that Media Action Nepal, a member and co-chair of the Media Freedom Coalition-Consultative Network (MFC-CN) is offering a series of intensive training and mentorship sessions to 175 journalists covering 20 districts across all seven provinces of Nepal including fellowships to 14 selected reporters.
The training in Janakpur was second in the series and witnessed the participation of 25 journalists from Dhanusha, Sarlahi, Mahottari and Siraha districts. Supported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI), the training, mentorship and fellowship seek to equip journalists on fair media coverage, reporting elections, countering disinformation and hate speech, and promoting inclusive and diverse media content.
