EC urges media to rely only on official sources
He emphasized that citizens are in urgent need of accurate and factual information at this time, adding that media outlets have a crucial responsibility to comply with and help enforce the election code of conduct.
KATHMANDU: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has urged media organizations to disseminate election-related news and information based strictly on official sources during the upcoming House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.
Speaking at an “Election Code of Conduct Orientation for the House of Representatives Election 2082” organized by Public Service Broadcasting Nepal, Bhandari cautioned the media against the spread of misleading and false news during the election period.
He emphasized that citizens are in urgent need of accurate and factual information at this time, adding that media outlets have a crucial responsibility to comply with and help enforce the election code of conduct.
“I request media organizations to rely solely on official sources while reporting election-related news as much as possible,” Bhandari said.
He also expressed concern over the increasing misuse of digital platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to circulate manipulated audio-visual content on social media that can damage individuals’ reputations.
To address this issue, he informed that the Election Commission is preparing to sign agreements with social media companies such as Meta and TikTok.
At the same program, Election Commission Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said monitoring compliance with the election code of conduct is also a responsibility of the media.
He stressed that state-owned media outlets, including Nepal Television, Radio Nepal, and the RSS, must play a more responsible role in delivering truthful and official information to the public.
Raut praised RSS for developing an internal election code of conduct within its organization and encouraged other media houses to adopt similar practices.
Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Laxmi Kumari Basnet, said the media has an important role in providing accurate information to citizens and supporting the successful conduct of the upcoming election.
Similarly, Chair of Public Service Broadcasting Nepal, Dr. Mahendra Bista, advised journalists to adhere to both the election code of conduct and the journalists’ code of ethics. He stressed the need for self-assessment among media professionals to ensure impartiality and professionalism.
He further urged journalists to avoid promoting any political party, candidate, or ideology on social media and to uphold neutrality in their reporting.
Meanwhile, Nepal Television has provided orientation training on the election code of conduct to its correspondents nationwide through video conferencing.
