Kirtipur (Kathmandu), March 7: Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire clarified that no laws will be formulated by the House of Representatives that restrict press freedom.
Addressing the second anniversary and annual general meeting of the Economic Media Association Nepal (EMAN) here today, Speaker Ghimire said that he was clear about not going against the spirit of freedom of press and freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution while formulating legislations.
“I am aware about your concern about the bills that are under consideration in the parliament. There should not be any restriction on the freedom of press,” Ghimire asserted, noting the widespread concerns over some of the provisions in the Media Council Bill.
The Speaker stressed that no law should obstruct the free practice of journalism, blocking access to information and weakening transparency.
He acknowledged that the country was going through the stage of transitional economy and was advancing towards industry-friendly environment, development of infrastructures, financial stability and investment-friendly environment.
The Speaker called for broader collaboration among government, private sectors, financial organizations and media sector to explore new possibilities by revising old economic policies.
He also expressed his concern over lack of tendency of providing authentic data to media for fact-based news. He was also concerned about the advertisement and economic benefits influencing news collection process.
According to him, the economic journalism should not be only a means of news dissemination process rather it should be an important instrument to guide policy- making and drive sustainable development.
