The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), the umbrella organization of journalists in Nepal, has urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure press freedom and professional rights of journalists.

In a letter sent to the newly appointed minister of state for Information and Communications, Dilendra Prasad Badu, FNJ president Bishnu Nisthuri said that even as democratic system has been restored in the country after the successful people’s movement, there are challenges to be tackled with in terms of making the Nepalese press independent and professional.

“Although democracy and the movement for press freedom has succeeded to a large extent, the important responsibility and challenges to make Nepali Press independent and disciplined are still ahead,” Nisthuri said in the letter sent to the ministry.

Hoping for timely decision on the FNJ concept paper from the government side, Nisthuri further said, “In this context, we would like to present the concept that the federation has prepared about the situation of independent Nepali press which faced direct attack from the autocratic regime in the past, immediate reformation that is to be made and restructuring of media sector in the future to you and to Nepal Government through you.”

The FNJ concept paper presented to the government calls for immediate annulment of all draconian laws introduced by the erstwhile royal regime, release of two detained journalists, Tej Narayan Sapkota and Hom Prasad Basyal, investigation into the largesse of the previous government, reinstatement of journalists expelled from government medias for supporting the democratic movement and implementation of ‘working journalists’ regulations’, among others.

The full text of the FNJ concept paper presented to the government is as follows:

Immediate annulment and action to be taken

1. All kinds of orders, policies, circular etc that is imposed after February 1, 2005 should be immediately annulled.

2. At this duration, so called one door advertisement policy and the expenditure through government’s fund should be made public which was dispersed in the name of Dashain allowance, to assist autocratic regime and various mechanisms to divide media sector.

3. Programs that were produced to advocate autocracy by misusing government media should be annulled. The misuse of government media and illegal expenditure from government fund should be investigated and action should be taken against the guilty.

4. All press pass and press representative certificate that was issued during autocratic regime should be investigated and all the press pass and press representative certificate distributed to vigilantes, security personnel and non-journalists should be seized. And while issuing new cards, latest updated record of the journalist should be made its basis.

5. Records of the illegal economic distribution that was disbursed after Royal coup against press and freedom of expression should be made public and it should be recovered from those who disbursed and received it.

6. The license granted to the army to start the transmission of FM station should be immediately rescinded.

About welfare of journalists and their security

7. Journalists Tej Narayan Sapkota (Nakhu) and Hom Prasad Basyal (Butwal) who are still in jail should be immediately released.

8. Journalists who were sacked from government and private media due to conscience after the Royal coup of February 1, 2005 should be re-established, compensation of the period they were deprived of their job, the services that was reduced during this period should be re-established as before and compensation to the injured during the movement and also to those who were detained for longer period.

9. Working Journalist Act 2051 and regulation 2053 should be immediately implemented and the provisions that are against the welfare of journalists be annulled and amended. The full compliance of such acts/regulations should be made primary condition for the registration or renewal and for acquiring government advertisement and other benefits. Committees according to such acts/regulations should be formed and reformed.

10. There should not be discrimination in acquiring information and dissemination for FM radios and the access to information to the journalists working there should be as equal to the journalists working at other media.

11. All the displaced journalists should be re-established.

12. Journalists who were murdered by state and rebels and to those who lost their lives due to armed conflict and various other attacks should be properly respected, compensation to the family of the victim, arrangement for their survival and proper education for the children should be provided.

13. Telephone disruption of journalists should be immediately cancelled.

About preservation and promotion of media

14. Press Council’s biased classification of newspapers should be annulled and should be re-classified and council report should be rewritten.

15. The increment in postal charge should be taken back and convenient transportation of newspapers and press materials should be managed.

16. Equal distribution of advertisement policy should be implemented. The price of public welfare advertisements should be increased. Publication rights of all information and advertisement of outside the capital should be given to local newspapers and electronic media. The limitation of grant should be increased in the publication and transmission of advertisements calling for tenders through local media.

17. Hording Boards that was displayed for the purpose of publicity and advertising should be removed immediately and message or advertisements should be published or broadcasted through public media.

18. New management should be initiated in a transparent way to provide special relief and promotion to the journalists for pro democracy and economically poor journalists.

19. All closed website should opened immediately. Online journalism should be recognized as mainstream journalism.

20. The renewal fees of FM radios should be deducted. There should be discount on the renewal of radio license considering their role for democratic movement and the obstructions that they faced.

Policy Matters

21. High-level media commission should be set up to conceptualize restructuring of Nepalese media and its reformation including timely revision of laws and policies related to media and reformation on government information dissemination system. Federation is always prepared for the discussion regarding nature of commission and jurisdiction.

22. For professional operation of government media, government publication media and news agency should be freed from government autonomy and should be made public and electronic media should be made completely autonomous. The federation is ready for detailed discussion with its concept.

23. Law relating to right to information should be passed immediately.

Strengthening of Federation

24. All the budget that was blocked after February one by the then government including journalists relief fund, conflict victim journalist welfare fund should be immediately opened.

25. Assistance that was provided post February 1 should be continued and additional assistance, payment of budget blocked by local body and land should be provided for the construction of district offices of the federation.

26. The construction of the central office building of the Federation should be immediately started for the preservation and welfare of working journalist, capacity building and institutional strengthening of the Federation and for the development of media village as it was envisaged.