Journalists Federation Demands Press Passes for House of Representatives Election Coverage

Kathmandu. The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has demanded that press passes be issued based on the identity card of the concerned media house or the Federation itself for news collection during the House of Representatives elections.

FNJ General Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal, in a press release issued on Wednesday, demanded that press passes for news collection be issued by the Department of Information or other government agencies based on the identity card of the concerned media house or the Federation.

The FNJ has taken seriously the complaints from journalists and media houses across the country regarding administrative hassles faced while covering the House of Representatives elections.

The Federation expressed regret that an environment has not been created for journalists and media houses to fulfill their responsibility of delivering information to the public smoothly until the day before the voting.

'The Federation strongly demands that the Election Commission and the Government of Nepal immediately provide press passes issued by the Department of Information and other government agencies, or press passes based on the identity card of the concerned media house or the FNJ, for news collection during voting and vote counting, and vehicle passes for the same,' the statement read. 'Given the role of the Nepali press sector in transparent, fair, impartial, and free elections, it is the duty of the concerned bodies to facilitate and coordinate the press in performing its duties. Otherwise, the Federation draws the attention of the concerned parties to be serious as it could create suspicion towards the election itself.'

The Federation has also demanded special attention to the security of journalists, considering all types of security challenges during the election. The Federation has also called upon journalists to deploy to their workstations safely and adhere to the election code of conduct and journalistic code of conduct while maintaining neutrality.