Freedom Forum is sharing that Kantipur Media Group shuts the publication of newspaper following the nationwide enforcement of lockdown in keeping with the potential risks of COVID-19 pandemic. It is noted that the publication has come to a halt following the government's decision of lock-down in Nepal and the risk posed to the newspaper distributors during the house and office deliveries. Kantipur Media Group is based in Kathmandu which lies in Province no. 3.
The print, publication, and distribution of Newspapers such as Kantipur, The Kathmandu Post, Saptahik, and Nepal and Nari will be postponed from Friday for some time. Kantipur Media Group said the newspaper publication has to be shut owing to the problem of its circulation in market areas and growing security challenges stemming from COVID-19. The group said the security of their subscribers and general people has become their primary responsibility and concern for now. Publication of these four newspapers will be shut until further notice, they said.
The publications of other government-owned newspapers are also on the verge of shutting down their printing and distribution for some time. Freedom Forum shows its solidarity with all the national and local newspapers who had to take these drastic measures amid the public health crisis in Nepal.
FF appreciates the newspaper's decision to at least continue online edition to inform society and demands management to ensure safety gear at this difficult time. Together FF requests reporters to maintain safety measures and strongly urges concerned media houses to assist its journalists to equip with safety accessories because reporters are always in the frontline. The role of media to serve people with credible news and information is bigger at crisis. welcomes the efforts of media houses for making news dissemination possible from the online platform despite all the hurdles.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum..org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022