AUGUST 13, 2008 Freedom Forum recently organized a regional level workshop on ‘media laws and policies’ in Parsa district Headquarters, Birgunj with the objective of bringing together the views and recommendations from different walks of life for the timely improvement and effective functioning of Nepali media.
At a two-day workshop on June 25-26, various journalists, civil society representatives, local NGO leaders and legal practitioners stressed the need to bring about timely amendment to media related existing Acts and Laws in view of making Nepali media sector more accountable to democracy and people.
They said that serious problems are being faced in the management of mass media and professional security of media persons due to the dillydallying in the formulation of Acts and Laws as specified by the Interim Constitution of Nepal-2006.
On the occasion, Freedom Forum Central Chairperson Tara Nath Dahal underscored the need of big changes and improvement at policy level in media sector for the intuitional development of democracy, adding, “The shortcomings and practical problems surfaced in the media sector should be analyzed in consistent with universally-accepted principles and standards”.
Shedding light on the contents and aspects of the book entitled ‘Media Policy and Laws’ brought out by Freedom Forum, he said that the review and criticism is imperative to make Nepali press more accountable to people.
ARTICLE 19 Representative Santosh Sigdel underlines the need of effective implementation of Right to Information (RTI) Act and added the right to freedom of expression should be ensured not only to citizens but to all people.
Press Council Member Dipendra Chauhan, Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), District Chairperson Satrughan Nepal and journalists duo, Chandra Kishor Jha and Bishnu Chhimeki stressed that the provisions of press freedom should be reflected in the preamble of the next constitution and focused that the government-controlled media should be transformed into public media.
Advocate Deepak Raj Bhandari also raised his voice for timely amendments and changes in media related policies and laws.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022