Expresses concern about the risk that unverified information disseminated through the media during elections could pose serious problems for the electoral process, voter confidence, and the overall democratic system.
What you should know
Former Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission, Neelkantha Upreti, has said that the media should pay attention to the risk of systematic dissemination of false information by various groups, individuals or vested interests during elections.
At an interaction on ‘Digital Rights and Security, Information Integrity and Election Reporting’ jointly organized by the Federation of Nepal Journalists and Digital Rights Nepal, he said that if information is disseminated through the media during elections without verification, it can cause serious problems in the election process, voter confidence and the overall democratic system, and attention should be paid to it.
He said, “The role of the media in society is very important . Especially during elections, if someone sends wrong information to the media, it can cause a big problem . Therefore, journalists and the media need to work very carefully and vigilantly .” He said that fact-checking, reliability of sources and evidence-based investigative reporting are indispensable while disseminating news related to elections . He urged the media to publish and broadcast news responsibly, not in a hurry.
Federation of Nepal Journalists President Nirmala Sharma said that the Federation is continuously active for the dissemination of truth, facts and balanced information . She stated that commitment from all parties is necessary for the effective implementation of the code of ethics in journalism, and that journalists themselves should be more responsible.
She said, “It seems that ‘disinformation’ is coming through some social media. The Federation is active on how to control and minimize such misleading information. We should all be successful in conducting fair and credible elections through responsible journalism.” Nepal Press Council Nepal President Dr. Kumar Sharma Acharya said that the council is continuously monitoring to prevent the spread of false information in the media. He said, “The council is regularly monitoring to prevent the spread of false information in the media. The council has become more vigilant to prevent such activities, especially during election reporting.”
In the interactive program, various perspectives were presented on issues to be considered while doing journalism in the digital age, the digital security of journalists, the importance of information integrity, and the responsibility of the media in sensitive times like elections.
A practical handbook on ‘ Digital Rights and Security, Information Integrity and Election Reporting ’ was also released on the occasion of the event. The organizer stated that the handbook is expected to guide journalists on digital risks, identifying misleading information and responsible election reporting.
