Recently, the Department of Information and Broadcasting said that it stopped registering and renewing online media outlets. The reason? The government amended the Press and Publication Act, 2048 (1991) and set a provision that online media be registered or renewed at the Chief District Officer (CDO) offices. However, the move has caused a dilemma or two among the stakeholders.
The Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs had published the amended Act in the Gazette (Rajpatra). After the amendment, Clause 7B was added after Clause 7A in the Act, which includes a provision requiring the registration of online media outlets.
Prior to that, online media registration and renewal were carried out at the Department of Information and Broadcasting. However, after the amendment, individuals wanting to operate online media must now submit an application to the designated local authority in the prescribed format along with the specified fee.
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Federation of Nepali Journalists criticizes online media registration at the CDO office
The Federation of Nepali Journalists, short FNJ, has remarked that the provision to register and renew online media at CDO offices has caused uncertainty and confusion among online media operators. In a press note, the federation stated that the provision is inconsistent with the constitutional provisions and the federal governance system.
“This provision can be seen as a continuation of the unitary Panchayat-era provision of registering newspapers at the Chief District Officer’s office. The new provision, introduced through collusion between the government and the federal parliament, is objectionable, vague, and impractical, as it goes against the democratic values and norms of policy-making through broad discussion and consultation with concerned stakeholders,” the Federation’s statement reads.
The Federation claimed that the new provision has pushed five thousand registered online media outlets into uncertainty. “Amid confusion over where and how to renew online media registrations, the abrupt suspension of the registration and renewal process by the Department of Information and Broadcasting under the direct order of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has further raised suspicion,” the Federation stated.
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FNJ has also expressed its shock over the apathy shown by the Communication Ministry and requested the government for a discussion to reach a conclusion.