Kathmandu, Jan. 7
Minister for
Communication and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel has said that he has
not yet decided on whether to file his candidacy for the upcoming elections
scheduled for March 5.
Inaugurating the 29th
anniversary of the Federation of Nepali Journalists Bhaktapur on Wednesday, he
stated that the news stories circulating about him contesting the election were
not true.
“There have been
claims in the media that I am going to contest the elections that I will stand
from this party or that party, from this constituency or that constituency. I
want to make it clear that, to date, I have not made any decision on whether to
contest or not. I have not joined any party, visited or held talks with any
party, I have not engaged in discussions,” he said.
Emphasising that
journalism must uphold credibility, balance and accuracy, he said that the
election would be conducted in a fair, free and fraud-free manner. He urged the
media to disseminate accurate, factual and balanced information and news in a
reliable way during the election.
Minister Kharel also
pointed out that as the election approaches, the role of the media will be
crucial in making voter education effective, ensuring free and fair elections
without malpractice, helping voters choose the right candidates, encouraging
correct voting procedures so that votes are not invalidated, and ultimately in
selecting good leadership.
Stating that Nepal has
a very large number of media outlets and therefore has been unable to move
towards proper commercial sustainability, he said, “Our country has around
13,000 journalists and similar number of media outlets—perhaps even more. How
can this be sustained?”
He further said, “Whom
should people trust, whom should they believe? Does our country really need
13,000 media outlets? Can they be sustained or not? How will these media
outlets survive? The situation is extremely risky, and the concerned
authorities need to understand this seriously.”
Minister Kharel also
noted that there is a widespread public perception that the media is
increasingly becoming a victim of misinformation, disinformation and fake news,
and stressed the need to think seriously about how to discourage such practices
and how to bring professionalism into journalism.
At the programme,
Bagmati Province’s Minister for Culture and Tourism, Suresh Shrestha, said that
the current government must address all the problems of the journalism sector
and urged the media not to disseminate arbitrary news merely in the hope of
gaining likes and views.
During the event,
Peshal Acharya was awarded the Late Bhagwandas Rajkumar Maharjan Memorial
Journalism Award, Leela Shrestha received the Active Women Journalism Award,
and Binod Koju was presented with the Late Maiyadevi Shilpakar Memorial
Journalism Award.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 8 January 2026.
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