Spread the love

BIDUR, Nuwakot, Feb 15: Speakers at an interaction program here said citizens expect accurate and useful information from the media, but current media practice often falls short. They concluded that only responsible journalism can meet public expectations, as people rarely find content that truly reflects their concerns.

At a discussion titled Citizens’ Expectations: Responsible Journalism, organized by the Editors’ Society Nepal on Saturday, participants said news coverage still gives excessive space to one-sided statements from political leaders and officials while overlooking the needs and voices of ordinary citizens.

They also suggested that media outlets should highlight voters’ priorities, concerns, and agendas in the upcoming House of Representatives election on March 5.

Participants reviewed a working paper on responsible journalism presented by senior journalist Toya Gautam and stressed that media must place citizens’ issues at the center of reporting. The paper examined challenges created by the rapid growth of digital technology and warned that many people now rely on social media updates even before mainstream media reports the news.

Bidur Municipality Mayor Rajan Shrestha said irresponsible reporting has at times caused harm to both him and the municipality, reinforcing the need to promote responsible journalism.

Editors’ Society patron Kiran Vaidya recalled beginning his journalism career four decades ago, noting that while the number of media outlets has grown sharply, citizens remain confused due to concerns over language, content quality, and factual accuracy.

Acting Editor in Chief of Gorkhapatra Daily and Vice Chair of the Editors’ Society Junar Babu Basnet said the spread of unverified information on social media is harming society in many ways. He said mainstream outlets must rebuild public trust through responsible reporting.

Society Chair Puru Rishal said the organization is engaging with citizens to improve journalistic standards, while General Secretary Shyamkaji Dotel described responsible journalism as the foundation of social change. Program coordinator Dhruv Rawal warned that the rise of copy paste journalism makes quality improvement unavoidable.

People’s News Monitoring Service