Journalists demand policy reforms to strengthen media sector

By Pabitra Guragain, Kathmandu, Dec 29: Journalists have called for a robust welfare fund, progressive state policies, access to soft loans for media organizations, and regular capacity-building training to strengthen the media industry.     

Participating in a discussion organized today by the Communications Registrar's Office in Bagmati Province, alongside newly-elected office bearers of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) from four provinces: three non-territorial and the Bagamati, including the Corporate Province, journalists pressed the need for the state to recognize journalism as a key profession and its crucial role in society.     

Journalists, particularly those working in small-scale media, have been facing a crisis, worsened by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, they apprised the organizers.     

They collectively urged the government to develop sustainable plans to support the media sector. Some of their demands include the proportional distribution of public welfare advertisements, as well as the implementation of measures to ensure the sustainability of radio stations, small media outlets and the self-sufficient media houses.     

"Media houses can only survive if journalists are retained," they argued. The participants also called for the government's intervention to recognise journalists' labor and assure of fair pay for their work.     

Regarding policy reforms, they called for increased coverage of accident and health insurance for journalists and more investment in the media sector to prevent corporate interests from dominating the industry. They also urged the government to promote press freedom and to incorporate gender-sensitive policies in its media initiatives.     

The Communications Registrar's Office was advised to establish specific criteria for media registration. Participants stressed that media registration should not be granted haphazardly, but rather based on evaluating factors such as investment size, potentiality, and infrastructure before accepting proposed media registrations.     

After listening to the voices of around 50 participants, Province Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Suraj Chandra Lamichhane, called on journalists to ensure the practice of decent journalism, promising all possible support from the government to empower journalists. He urged the gathering to make extra efforts to enhance the quality and charm of journalism.     

The Spokesperson for the Bagamati Province government expressed his awareness of the need for policy reforms to improve the rights of working journalists, urging them to take into account the resource limitations of the Ministry.     

Secretary of the Ministry, Purna Bahadur Darji, reaffirmed that the Bagamati Province government always supports the professional interests of journalists.     

Prior to the discussions, Communications Registrar Rewati Prasad Sapkota briefed the participants on the objective of the event, stating, "We are also stakeholders in the development of the communications sector." He shared that the Office has launched some academic books and is currently focused on enhancing the capacity of media personnel to make them more technology-friendly. He called on participants to ensure high-quality journalistic content and promised his best efforts to address their concerns. (RSS)