Demand of National Society of Democratic Print Media to stop Media Council Bill

Democratic Press National Society demanded from the government on Thursday not to bring a communication ordinance to stop public welfare advertisements that have been given to newspapers since the time of the first elected Prime Minister B.P Koirala.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has said that it has drawn serious attention to the fact that the bill has been advanced without ensuring the continuity of the advertisement that the media will receive from the government.

It is mentioned in the statement signed by the president of the society, Damador Prasad Dawadi, that there is serious objection and disagreement over public welfare advertisements not being mentioned anywhere in the Media Council Bill, which is to be brought to replace the Press Council Act, 2048.

Mentioning that since the time of the Prime Minister of the first elected government, B.P Koirala, public welfare advertisements and subsidies have been given in one form or another for the development of newspapers and the communication sector, the statement said that in the Media Council Bill proposed as an alternative to the Press Council Act, nothing was found regarding public welfare advertisements.

In other Bills related to communication, it does not seem that there is a classification committee arrangement like the one in the Press Council.

The society has brought to the attention of the relevant ministries and the government to immediately stop the bill which has been put forward to stop the advertisement that is being received by the media all over the country.

Currently, the bill has reached the Ministry of Law.

Regrettably, the government is trying to forcefully pass a bill instead of serious discussions and suggestions with the concerned parties when there is a lack of advertisement in the statement and it is difficult to operate the media.

No one should forget that the media council bill proposed by the participating parties in this government was called a black law and that no one should forget that not only the media council but also the public service broadcasting bill which has reached the parliament, should not be rushed forward.

It is mentioned it that it is objectionable to advance such bills without sufficient discussion and study to provide facilities to some people close to them.

Earlier, the Federation of Nepalese Journalists expressed dissatisfaction that the Bills including the Media Council came without sufficient homework.

Likewise, the CPN Samajwadi close press organization participating in the coalition government has also demanded to stop the bill.

The statements given by the government officials about the advertisement have come in a way that is not reliable and trustworthy. Not only that, the society has also objected to the fact that the classification has been stopped when the Ministry of Communication has stopped the work of nominating the relevant committee for the classification which is currently being done by the council.

According to the statement of the society, public welfare advertisement is the main economic source of small and self-employed media. There is no doubt that it has a long history and contribution. Due to the serious impact on the economy, the media, including the print media, are now in extreme crisis. It is the government's responsibility to protect the press, which has contributed significantly to bringing about political change in the country.

It is requested that no political party or government should forget this responsibility.

The government is trying to cancel the public welfare advertisement that is being received by the print media all over the country by hastily advancing the media bill and confusing other bills.

On behalf of the leading organizations of print media across the country, this proposed bill has been requested to be stopped immediately and moved forward with sufficient homework, discussions, and suggestions.

It has been informed through the press release that there is no option to go to a phased movement if such bills are not stopped, which are controversial and will destroy the communication sector.