Kathmandu, 3 September: The government has attempted to curb press freedom by promoting partisan media. The new bill tabled by the government in Parliament wishes to replace the Press Council, an autonomous body, with the Media Council and recruit the Council office bearers by the secretary in the Information and Technology Ministry. The secretary is authorized for appointing and terminating the 10-member office bearers in the Council making it a part of the Ministry ending its autonomous structure.
The Council is authorized to punish the media with a heavy financial penalty, which is not the job of the media regulating body.
The ultimate aim of the government seems to curtail media freedom and promote partisan media by introducing a new law, say independent journalists.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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