Pokhara: Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, has laid emphasis on investigative journalism during a discussion on women’s participation and development in journalism organized by the Ministry and the Sancharika Samuha Gandaki Province in Pokhara today. Minister Gurung argued, “The content cannot be factual if there is no investigative journalism. So, all should pay heed to it.”
According to National News Agency Nepal, the Minister highlighted the issue of misinformation spreading due to the misuse of information technology, which impacts the promotion of national welfare. He stated that the Ministry is working on ensuring the right to information, aiming to make it systematic and dignified, as it is the first priority of the citizens.
Minister Gurung discussed plans to advance state-owned media development and emphasized the need to regulate content on social networking sites. He informed that the Cabinet had passed a cyber security bill to control cybercrime, which would be presented in the House soon. The Media Council Bill is also expected to be passed soon to regulate activities that violate the code of conduct.
As the government’s spokesperson, Minister Gurung urged all sides to be sensitive to ending the narrative that ‘nothing has happened in the country.’ He highlighted the government’s efforts in leveraging water resources for electricity generation, noting that 98 percent of households now have access to electricity over the past 35 years.
Additionally, Secretary Radhika Aryal addressed the challenges faced by traditional media due to the increasing use of ICT in journalism. On the occasion, Minister Gurung awarded Commissioner at the National Information Commission, Durga Bhandari, with the ‘Sancharika Patrakarita Puraskar-2079 BS’ and Rastriya Samachar Samiti’s journalist Januma Sharma with the ‘Sancharika Patrakarita Puraskar-2080 BS’.