Democracy and press freedom inseparable: President Paudel

Kathmandu, April 26: President Ram Chandra Paudel has said that Nepali journalists have fought for democracy without caring for their life.     

Addressing the 16th Civilian Honours Programme organized by Nepal Republic Media here today, he said that just as free, fair and neutral journalism is not possible without democracy; democracy cannot be imagined without a free press.     

President Paudel said that the journalism sector needs to bring to light that something is happening in the country by doing away with the narrative that nothing has happened in the country.     

He said, "The job of journalism is not only to show that nothing is happening, but also to show that something is happening. Here is an example of how this can work. I am glad that this programme is focused on that way. "President Paudel said that populism is rampant in the present time and if the tendency to seek only praise increases, then the truth could not be explored. Therefore, a vigilant press could always disseminate accurate, truthful information and expand the critical consciousness of the citizens in a democracy."     

Recalling that BP Koirala, when he was the Prime Minister, invited journalists and asked them to criticize and alert the government, President Paudel said that BP made this request because of his belief of free press. He said that no one can underestimate the contribution of the journalism sector in the democratic movement of Nepal. Mentioning that there has been a significant change in media and information communications, President Paudel said that along with the development of technology, citizen journalism has also become equally strong due to the inclusion of social media and various means of broadcasting.     

He emphasized that it was the responsibility of the responsible mass media to protect the people from the danger of disinformation by misusing technology and misleading the people through false and fake information dissemination     

 In the programme, Nandadevi Kunwar, a forest protection campaigner of Kailali, Ghanshyam Pathak, an educationist of Rupandehi, and Pooja Mahato, cricket player of Mahottari, were awarded with the Civil Honor 2082 BS.(RSS)