Newsrooms must be diversified: ANIJ

Demands enhanced pluralism to reflect country's diversity

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The first national gathering of Association of Nepali Indigenous Nationalities Journalists (ANIJ) — the umbrella organisation of all indigenous nationalities journalists of the country — concluded with the decision to raise issues of pluralism and inclusiveness in the media very strongly.

Minister for Information and Communications Agni Prasad Sapkota said his ministry was preparing to make its opinions public regarding policies and programmes for the new fiscal. “The issues raised by the meet will be complementary for the ministry to draft programmes for the new fiscal year,” he said

He claimed that national interest has weakened as the political, religious, cultural rights of the people have been seized and weakened.

During the function, president of Federation of Nepali Journalists Shiva Gaule said Nepali journalists have been facing armed groups even without any kind of life insurance or accidental insurance.

“The newsroom must reflect the country’s diverse culture,” said Gaule adding that FNJ would take up the issues raised by the ANIJ gathering in its programmes. He said ANIJ should raise the issues of educational background of indigenous nationalities journalists and effective training for those who do not possess academic qualifications. “Without providing journalism training to the indigenous nationalists, we cannot ensure diversified newsrooms,” he said demanding that the government impart necessary training to make media houses diversified.

He said all newsrooms of the country should look like the country where a large number of diversified ethnic people having distinct cultures reside.

ANIJ president Mohan Singh Lama said both the government and FNJ have remained indifferent to the issues raised by indigenous nationalities journalists. He said the situation of newspapers published in different languages of the country was pathetic and the government is mum.

The gathering has endorsed the organisational report of general secretary Danda Gurung and financial report of treasurer Tika Ram Pradhan. More than 50 district chapter presidents and representatives had presented their reports

Adviser of ANIJ Raj Kumar Dikpal had presented a paper on ‘Mass media and the issues of Indigenous Nationalities Journalists’ on which Khim Ghale and Ujir Magar commented.

The gathering has passed a 10-point Kathmandu declaration demanding special support for media that promote various languages, besides training for journalists coming from disadvantaged and marginalised groups.

ANIJ has also demanded that all newsrooms of the country should be inclusive and diversified and called on indigenous nationalities to invest in media.

(Published in The Himalayan Times on July 17, 2011)