Minister Gurung stresses investigative journalism

Kaski, May 24: Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, has laid emphasis on investigative journalism.     

During a discussion on women's participation and development in journalism organised by the Ministry and the Sancharika Samuha Gandaki Province in Pokhara today, Minister Gurung argued, "The content cannot be factual if there is no investigative journalism. So, all should pay heed to it."     

The people have been getting misinformation about the issues related to the promotion of national welfare due to the misuse of information technology, he added. Minister Gurung opined that the Ministry has been working on how it could ensure the right to information, make it systematic and dignified, as RTI is the first priority of the citizens.     

Stating that they were in a plan to move ahead in a new way for the development of state-owned media, he stressed the need to regulate the content disseminated from social networking sites.     

The Cabinet had passed the cyber security bill in order to control cybercrime and the bill would be presented in the House soon, added the Communications Minister. He mentioned, "Media Council Bill will be passed soon, and activities carried out against the code of conduct will be regulated."     

Also, the Spokesperson of the government, Minister Gurung, pointed out that all sides should be sensitive to end the wrong publicity of 'nothing has happened in the country'. The initiatives and activities carried out for the overall development of the country by the government were taken before the Nepali audience and readers.     

He highlighted the government's efforts to leverage the country's abundant water resources for electricity generation, thereby making the country economically strong. The Minister shared that 98 per cent of the households across the country had access to electricity over the past 35 years.     

Likewise, Secretary Radhika Aryal noted the challenges facing the traditional media due to the wider use of ICT in journalism.     

On the occasion, Minister Gurung awarded Commissioner at the National Information Commission, Durga Bhandari, with 'Sancharika Patrakarita Puraskar-2079 BS' and Rastriya Samachar Samiti's journalist Januma Sharma with 'Sancharika Patrakarita Puraskar-2080 BS'. (RSS)