Working Women Journalists (WWJ) has successfully concluded a three-day training program with the objective of enhancing the capacity of women journalists.
The training, titled "Investigative Reporting on Parliamentary Affairs for Women Journalists" was organized with the support of the UNDP’s PSP Project and was attended by 25 women journalists from various media outlets.
On the first day, Dr. Jagat Nepal, a lecturer at Tribhuvan University, provided training on the structure, functions, and procedures of Parliament. Likewise, Narendra Saud, News Editor of Annapurna Post, delivered a presentation on parliamentary reporting and its practical aspects.
On the second day, former Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma shared her experiences related to gender issues in Parliament and the media. In the second session, Rajendra Fuyal, former Secretary of the National Assembly under the Federal Parliament, briefed participants on the Parliament Secretariat and its key responsibilities.
On the third day, senior journalist and former President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Shiva Gaunle, conducted a session on ethical standards in investigative journalism. Similarly in the second session, Namrata Sharma, former Chairperson of the Center for Investigative Journalism, presented on investigative journalism in parliamentary reporting.
Certificates were distributed to the participants by UNDP / PSP Project National Project Manager Dila Dutta Pant, senior journalist Namrata Sharma, and former President and Advisor of WWJ, Shubheksha Bindu.
Addressing the program, National Project Manager Pant emphasized that women journalists should aspire to become experts rather than remain only reporters in the field of parliamentary reporting.
He stated that Parliament is a vast source of stories with many unexplored issues and stressed that those who take leadership in this area will succeed. "If you step forward and take leadership, you can do very well in this field", Pant said.
WWJ President Ramkala Khadka said the training was organized to strengthen democracy by promoting investigative journalism in parliamentary affairs, ensuring accountability of power, and providing accurate information to the public.
She noted that women journalists can undertake investigative reporting on issues such as corruption and financial irregularities, conflicts of interest in law-making, parliamentary committee proceedings, and the impact of policy decisions.
Earlier, with UNDP’s support, WWJ had also completed a study on the role of women parliamentarians in representation within Nepal’s Parliament.
Participants shared that the training was highly beneficial. One of the participants, Mamta Thapa, said she had identified several investigative story ideas related to parliamentary accounting issues after the training and suggested that WWJ should introduce fellowship programs to encourage women journalists to produce investigative stories.
Another participant, Arati Poudel, also stated that the training helped her gain extensive knowledge about Parliament and the potential areas for investigative reporting within it.
