Govt media should carry people's concerns, disseminate Govt works

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, Dec. 17: Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, has directed that government media focus more on carrying people's concerns.

Inaugurating the ceremony held today to mark the 58^th anniversary of The Rising Nepal, Minister Sharma pointed at the need for the state-owned media to carry people's concerns and expectations while also disseminating the government's works and efforts to meet people's aspirations.

"Government media should be a means for two-way communication between the people and the government. They should carry people's concerns, desires, expectations and views on the performance of the government. At the same time, they should also disseminate information about the government's work performance and endevours to meet the people's desires," she said.

Noting the digital age and its impact on print media, she urged the nation's first English daily to focus more on specific issues than on daily events so that readers wait it for a day to read.

"Government newspapers such as The Rising Nepal cannot run on a daily news basis, as in the past time, now. They should adapt to the digital age as well as the political, and socio-economic changes that have occurred," she said.

I think print media should be specific issue focused, and raise issues related to climate change, unsafe foreign employment and others, she said, there is a need to instill enthusiasm in the youths that something can be done within the country.

The Minister urged the government media including the English Daily to disseminate news and views in such a way that it brings a change in the stereotype perception that the government media are only the government mouthpiece.

She also expressed her readiness to extend any support as needed for the Gorkhapatra Corporation which publishes The Rising Nepal to upgrade it.

Krishna Bahadur Raut, MoCIT secretary, pointed out the need for enhancing digital platforms or the online version of the paper as per the needs of the age.

He said the ministry was ready for capacity development of working staff to make them digitally savvy.

Executive Chairman of the Gorkhapatra Corporation, Bishnu Prasad Subedi, said that the TRN needed to change its content and that the management was now focused on it as it has successfully changed the paper's layout and design.

He said that the corporation's business performance in terms of advertisement and market revenue.

"I understand that the Corporation has served the state but the corporation staff are still working in the building listed as very risky due to the 2015 earthquake. So, I urge the government to provide us funds for the reconstruction of its head office," he said.

In his welcome speech, the general manager of the Gorkhapatra Corporation, Lal Bahadur Airi, viewed that the news outlets of the corporation should carry people's concerns, expectations and desires so that people find their voices in the paper.

Bhimsen Thapaliya, acting editor-in-chief of The Rising Nepal, made a presentation about the status of the paper and the performance it has made over the years.