Press Council of Nepal (PCN) has taken a series of fresh measures to implement the journalistic code of conduct.
“Implementation of ethics has become a more challenging job with the emergence of digital technology-dominated media platforms. So these measures are aimed at promoting professional, independent, and healthy journalism,” says PCN Chairperson Balkrishna Basnet.
The council recently held a code of conduct orientation for journalists on the importance of ethics. It plans to run classes on the journalistic code of conduct if any journalists are found to be violating their professional ethics.
According to Basnet, it is not just online media platforms that are breaching journalistic ethics.
“Even some established mainstream media have failed to enforce the code of conduct for journalists,” he adds.
PCN is presently offering training to the owners, editors, and journalists of new online platforms since many people are entering the media field with little or no idea of their professional responsibility. The council is also taking measures to prevent the registration of online news platforms whose names closely resemble already established news sites.
Besides, it is also monitoring YouTube channels that call themselves purveyors of news, events, and analysis but in reality, broadcasting misinformation and provocative content to increase their viewership.
“There are many YouTube channels that give their viewers an impression of being a legitimate news outlet. But the truth is they are acting with impunity and no one to regulate or monitor them,” Basnet says. ‘We are trying our best to bring them under the framework of proper journalism if that is what they plan to do with their channels.”
The council has formed a panel to recommend ways to regulate the mushrooming online news media platforms.
To make the journalistic code of conduct more accessible, PNC has made the document available in languages including Doteli, Nepal Bhasha, Bhojpuri, and Maithili.
Adherence to the journalistic code of conduct, Basnet says, is vital to not just for the credibility of the concerned media, but also for promoting fact-based news stories.
“A trustworthy media is vital for society. Right now, there are several shortcomings in the Nepali media industry. We have to work together to fix them,” says Basnet.
