KATHMANDU: Press Council Nepal (PCN) is set to roll out nationwide programmes on the election code of conduct and the role of media across major cities in all seven provinces, aiming to make monitoring of the election code of conduct more effective ahead of the March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) election.
The statutory body responsible for developing and enforcing the journalists’ code of conduct and monitoring media content has decided to further strengthen oversight of the election code of conduct enforced by the Election Commission Nepal.
According to PCN spokesperson Deepak Khanal, the decision was taken during the Council’s 12th meeting held at Salyantar in Tripurasundari Rural Municipality, Dhading district. The meeting resolved to conduct programmes focused on study, research and awareness of the election code of conduct this year and next year.
The Council also decided to update the roster of experts involved in newspaper evaluation and to review standards for auditing newspaper circulation. Khanal said key decisions included taking necessary measures to make the newspaper classification process more realistic, objective and relevant to current times.
Additionally, the Council will work on improving and revising procedures related to award distribution to ensure that awards provided by the Council are more transparent and effective. Records of newspapers and other media outlets will also be updated, and a special action plan along with a concept paper will be formulated to address challenges related to the updating process.
Meanwhile, the Council has urged all concerned stakeholders to fully implement and ensure compliance with the election code of conduct to help conduct the upcoming HoR election in a free, fair, impartial, transparent and fear-free environment.
The meeting also resolved to appeal to media outlets in Dhading district to prioritize publicity and promotion of religious, cultural and heritage sites, including Tripurasundari Mai Bhagwati Temple, Phatik Khamba, Narsinghdham, and Bhairavi Mai Temple located in Nilkantha Municipality.
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