The award and honor were presented by the first President of the Republic of Nepal, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, at a ceremony organized on Saturday at Suirechaur, Shivapuri Rural Municipality-7, Nuwakot, on the occasion of the 20th Memorial Day of Biyogi.
What you should know
Editors Society Nepal has awarded the 'Govinda Biyogi Journalism Award-2082' and the 'Govinda Biyogi Special Journalism Award 2082', established in memory of its founding president and senior journalist Govinda Biyogi.
On the occasion of Biyogi's 20th memorial day, the award and honor were presented by the first President of the Republic of Nepal, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, at a ceremony organized in Shivapuri Rural Municipality-7, Suirechaur, Nuwakot on Saturday.
In the program, the 'Govinda Biyogi Journalism Award-2082' was presented to Dr. Jagat Nepal, Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Campus. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and a certificate of appreciation.
Similarly, the 'Govinda Biyogi Special Journalism Award' has been presented to Chandani Hamal, journalist of Gorkhapatra Daily, and Rajendra Manandhar, columnist of 'Shukrawa: Ya Tansapau' Weekly. Hamal was awarded for his contribution to environmental protection and climate change mitigation through journalism, and Manandhar for his contribution to the field of journalism through Nepali language, according to the organizer. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 15,000 each and a certificate of appreciation.
Former President Yadav presented the ‘Editors Society Nepal Award’ to senior journalists Sharad Chandra Vasti and Sudarshan Acharya at the program.
At the award ceremony presided over by Society President Puru Risal, Former President Yadav said that the role of the journalism sector in strengthening democracy has further increased. He recalled that the role played by Biyogi in establishing democracy through journalism was remarkable.
At the program, Acharya, the honoree, emphasized that journalists should stand for the truth and should not hide the truth just because someone would get angry. Another honoree, Vasti, expressed concern that important information and facts have become a joke in journalism. He opined that earlier, when only journalists had access to sources, there was no problem, but now everyone has access to sources, and the challenges in journalism have increased.
Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Campus, Nepal, pointed out the need to play a role in improving the standards rather than criticizing them, as the decline in the standard of journalism affects society.
Shivpuri Rural Municipality Chairman Govinda Thapaliya expressed happiness that the number of tourists in the Shivpuri region has increased after the Editors' Society was linked to Nepal. He said that in the past, 25-30 thousand tourists used to come, but now, due to the news written by journalists, more than one lakh tourists are coming in a year due to publicity after the collaboration with the Editors' Society. Stating that the rural municipality is working to improve the living standards of the citizens here by linking agriculture and tourism, Chairman Thapaliya urged everyone to cooperate in this.
Press Institute Chairman Tirtha Koirala said that journalism is being undermined by capital and technology, and efforts are underway to make it dignified. He said, 'Technology is making leaps and bounds, but the credibility of journalism has come to a standstill. The Editors' Society should play an important role in guiding the next generation towards dignified journalism.'
Nepal-America Journalists Society President Tanka Panta, Editors' Society Patron Kiran Baidya, and Society General Secretary Shyam Dotel expressed their views.
