KATHMANDU: The Press Council Nepal (PCN) has issued a public appeal to ensure the contents shared across various digital media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube channels and other social media are fact-based and reliable.
In a press statement issued by Council's Deputy Spokesperson and Information Officer Ramsharan Bohora on Tuesday, the Council appealed to the operators of social media pages to clearly state their name, address and ensure accuracy of the information they post.
The Council mentioned that it had been actively monitoring the objectionable contents posted in the social media as a part of its objective to address misinformation/disinformation as well as to raise public awareness.
The Council, at present, has been regularizing and facilitating the YouTube channels, online TV channels among others through separate procedure, read the press statement said.
If there are complaints against contents on social media, or if self-regulation, fails, the Council has been taking action against those erring social media or their operators in accordance with the journalist code of conduct, the statement cautioned.
The Council said that if it finds contents that are malicious, obscure, indecent and tend to escalate conflict during monitoring, it coordinates with the Nepal Police's Cyber Bureau for investigation and further action.
The Council said that its serious attention was drawn towards the attempts being made by some social media (particularly YouTube and Facebook) users to create false and malicious narratives against some established media outlets.
The Council said that it was aware about the attempt aimed at undermining public's trust on traditional media by creating narratives such as traditional media cannot be trusted, social media are the official medium for information flow among others.
Also, the Council shared that it was receiving the complaints about social media account operators exerting undue pressure on media houses for advertisement in exchange of favorable coverage of news and threatening to publish false news alleging them of wrongdoing if traditional media organization or its proprietors do not fulfill their demands.
The Council, through the statement, cautioned all the parties concerned to immediately put an end on such activities.
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