Government in favour of bringing Media Act soon: Minister Baskota

Kathmandu / Nov 29: Media experts have demanded the Press Council Nepal re-classify of newspapers and magazines as the latest classification lacks impartiality.

A delegation of representatives from the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur chapters today called on Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gokul Prasad Baskota with the request for the new classification of newspapers (for the fiscal year 2074-75 BS) as it was partial and unscientific as well.

The memorandum submitted by the delegation to the Minister on the occasion demands the convert of accident insurance scheme launched by the government for journalist into life insurance.

The delegation also insisted on conducting study about the PCN’s expenditures taking place in the name of promotion of journalist code of conducts and achievements and results; and making public all the details related to such procedures.

In response, the Minister said he would seek a solution to the issue after consulting with bodies concerned in regard with the delegation’s concern.

He asserted,” To get high authority also means to be responsible towards everyone. The tendency to get authority would only arouse thirst for power. In democracy, the thirst for power leads towards corruption. That’s why the institution should be right.”

Stating that although the government could not raise a question about the autonomy about the Media Council Bill that was under deliberation in the Legislation, he pressed for the need to make it more accountable.

“Let’s not construct the institution that would court disputes. There is not hard and fast criteria that the president of the Press Council must be a journalist but anyone should have good grasp of understanding about media sector and should have ability to implement the rules and regulations,” Baskota said.

Stating that when the journalism was achieving a new height, media credibility should not be based only on editorial freedom, the Minister argued that if media house was economically sound, then only media would be free.

“The government is at work to build a structure relating to the proportional advertisement system in a bid to make media financial independent alongside its freedom,” he said.

So as to fully implement the campaign to carry out structural improvements in communications sector, he said, the government in the current fiscal year of 2076/77 has added 15 percent of budget for print media to publish public welfare advertisements and 50 percent for electronic media. Saying the government was always trying to establish friendly relations with the media, he also sounded his concerns about some individuals accusing the government of taking press freedom, overshadowing main issues in the context when the constitution has guaranteed full press freedom.

The Minister went on to say that the government was in the favour of bringing the Media Act as soon as possible by addressing all genuine voices came from media sector so as to end chaos in the overall media sector.

“The government brought the clean feed and inclusive advertisement polices as it seeks to make media more systematic and disciplined and the government wants a major operation in media by addressing issues raised by people concerned seriously.” RSS