Introspecting media’s role
KATHMANDU/ February 19: In a televised conversation with Space 4K Television last week, Chairperson of Media Action Nepal (MAN) Laxman Datt Pant raised a very important issue that not enough in Nepal’s media fraternity seem adequately worried about. The discussions Nepali media and media people seem entangled in are worryingly distracting us from the issues we should be focused on.
“While we are busy debating about licensing journalists and regulating speech on social media, we are inadvertently neglecting the pertinent topics of investment, journalism education, political inclinations and others that directly impact journalists’ livelihoods, media’s sustainability and the quality of the content they disseminate (and the public get)”, Pant observed.
While we are busy debating about licensing journalists and regulating speech on social media, we are inadvertently neglecting the pertinent topics of investment, journalism education, political inclinations and others that directly impact journalists’ livelihoods, media’s sustainability and the quality of the content they disseminate (and the public get).
Pant, speaking to Sofia Maharjan Karki in the program Space Sambaad, clarified that the Nepali media needed to look inward and talk about the issues of journalists’ job security. Many media houses do not pay their reporters the legally-required minimum wage and their jobs are terminated with little notice and without any criteria. This hampers their ability to produce quality, investigative news. Similarly, he wanted stakeholders to look at how many media organizations have invested in the education and capacity-building of their journalists.
He also lamented “a lack of independent journalists” in the country. “Journalists here are openly affiliated with political parties and they take pride in that,” he told presenter Maharjan.
Also making note of the work MAN has done since its establishment and the numerous studies it has carried out, Chairperson Pant said that all these factors were weakening the media’s ability to watch over power and be accountable to the public. As a result, many are now turning to social media to both express and consume information.
Many media houses do not pay their reporters the legally-required minimum wage and their jobs are terminated with little notice and without any criteria
When asked what were some ‘ideals’ the media and journalists could follow to become more credible in the eyes of the public, Pant outlined a few simple points:
- Do not have a stake in many sectors. Doing journalism while operating commercial enterprises risks conflicts of interest.
- Be neutral when presenting information. Journalists and editors can have opinions and they can voice them ethically through opinion columns and editorials. But the news should be unbiased and factual.
- Media houses should invest in their staff and ensure professional safety and integrity. It is not the state’s job to pay the reporters’ salaries for the news organizations. The state should, however, have frameworks in place to aid media sustainability and the protection of freedom of expression.
A member & Co-Chair of the Media Freedom Coalition-Consultative Network (MFC-CN), MAN has been working since its inception in 2015 to promote freedom of expression and media development. Our core working areas include media and journalism, human rights, media research, right to information, communication and policy advocacy. We are committed to making the media independent and accountable. Our goals: inclusive, independent and responsible media, professional journalism, protection of human rights and strengthening of democracy. The Space 4K interview with Pant also acknowledged this.
