Balkrishna Basnet, chairman of the Press Council of Nepal, has said that the existing legal system of registering online media without sufficient resources, means and manpower should be reviewed. He also pointed out that the online registration system has become widespread, but the qualitative aspect is weak, and this has added to the professional challenge.
Speaking at the code of conduct orientation program for the editors and publishers of the new online media, Chairman Basnet said, 'There is a situation where the online has to be shut down within a month of its launch, journalists are not getting paid and the directors have to flee. If so, why did you have to register in a hurry? Has this situation come about because of the existing legal system that can be easily registered? Now that too should be reviewed'.
Kedar Bhattarai, Chief Reporter of Gorkhapatra Daily, as a subject expert, facilitated the topics of code of conduct and journalistic values in the orientation program. 'The code of conduct has clearly defined the dos and don'ts. However, it does not seem to be followed online. Therefore, it is important for editors and reporters to pay attention to this. The monitoring of the council should be more focused', senior journalist Bhattarai said.
In the program, Deepak Pandey, a board member of the council, explained about the provisions of various communication guidelines and the provisions to be followed online.
Editors and publishers of 53 new online portals of various genres participated in the orientation.
To explain the code of conduct, the council has made it compulsory to take an orientation class before registering for one year.