NHRC Chair calls for media to remain impartial

Kathmandu, Dec. 19: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Tapa Bahadur Magar has urged the media sector to fully abide by journalists' code of conduct and to practice impartial, balanced and positive journalism.

Addressing a national conference organized here by the Kathmandu University on media ethics, Magar cautioned that news dissemination on any issue without clear information would lead to negative impact.  “Some news carried without a clear information have given negative message in the time of elections,” Magar added.

The NHRC Chair also shared that a mechanism has been set up in the NHRC to file complaints concerning journalists’ security. “One can file complaints in case of any pressure and threat against journalist.”

Likewise, Chairperson of National Inclusion Commission Ram Krishna Timalsena argued that media ethics would be automatically implemented if an individual’s character was fair and added that the media should be sensitive to the issues of national security.

Also speaking at the event, Chair of Federation of Nepali Journalists (NFJ) Bipul Pokharel admitted that weaknesses have occurred in reporting and dissemination of impartial news in the time of election for failure to follow the media ethics.

Similarly, RSS Chair Dharmendra Jha shared that the RSS was effectively implementing the practice of self-regulation in the elections time. “Sometimes journalists’ personal interest could be overriding. Self-regulation would be effective to those breaching the (media) ethics,” Jha said.   

Chief of Department of Journalism and Mass Communications of Tribhuvan University (TU) Professor Chiranjivi Khanal, Editor-in-Chief of Nepal Samacharpatra Daily Kapil Kafle and Editor-in-Chief of Kantipur TV Dil Bhusan Pathak also expressed their observation on implementation of media ethics.