OBJECTIVITY, FAIRNESS AND CREDIBILITY OF NEWS

Journalists not only collect information but verify them before printing. This is called cross-checking.
Journalists do it because they want their reports to be fair, objective and credible. By objectivity, we
mean without any bias. A journalist while reporting news is working under heavy pressure. There is
every likelihood of the journalist being influenced by some personal, political or corporate bias. So while
reporting, the journalist should keep away from such prejudices and present the story in as objective a
way as possible. Fairness is another quality required for a journalist. It is said that every story has two
sides. While presenting the story, the journalist should not take sides. If it is a story against an individual
or an institution, before writing the story, the journalist should seek their version also. The story should
have balance. Credibility of news is the most important virtue for any publication or channel or radio
service. A reader trusts a newspaper mainly because of its credibility. If a newspaper continues to
publish noncredible, unfair and non-objective stories, readers will start rejecting that paper. A news
item published by a paper will be read by hundreds of thousands of people. If that news is wrong, a
correction can be given the next day. But many readers may not see that correction. The newspaper
gets a bad reputation if it is not credible.

Role, Function & Qualities of a Reporter

Each person is involved in different stages of news production. However, the reporters are the frontline
infantry of a news organization. They act as eyes and ears of the media and act as social watchdog. They
go to the field gather information for the news. They are always alert and keep their eyes and ears open to
spot any development taking place in the society. They act primary news source for the media
organizations. The reporting staff needs to be skilled in news reporting and should possess certain
qualities to be able to fulfil the task with ease and efficiency. In this section we will discuss about the
qualities and responsibilities of a good reporter.
Qualities of a Reporter
Like any professional a news reporter must possess certain qualities to be successful.
The following are the basic qualities of a good reporter.
1. News Sense: The primary job of a reporter is discovering the news. Hence it is the basic quality
of any reporter. The news reporter should have the news sense or the nose for the news to
differentiate what is news and what is non- news. She must know what public interest is and what
a publicity stunt is.
2. Clarity: A good reporter always has clarity of mind and expression. A confused mind cannot
present a clear story. The Reporter should be able to present the news in simple and logical way.
3. Objectivity: It refers to being to have fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and nonpartisanship
in news reporting. Good Reporters, always resist their personal bias or ideas and present the story
in factual and balanced way. They always cover the views of representatives of both sides of a
controversy without favoring one side to achieve the balance. They never dilute the story with
personal views and partial comments.
4. Accuracy: Good reporters always strive for accuracy. They never tamper with the facts. They
check and re-check the facts when dealing with the facts and figures. Reporting inaccurate
information is considered as moral crime and can harm the credibility of the reporter and news
media.
5. Alertness: The reporter has to be alert in all situations. It helps to catch the scoop. It also helps to
keep abreast with all the happenings that are taking place in the subject of the Reporter.
6. Speed: The News Reporter should think fact, decide fast and write fast to meeting the pressing
deadline or to cover another story. Being lazy will affect performance of the reporter.
7. Calmness: Reporters work in different work environment. Good Reporters remain calm and
composed in most exciting and tragic circumstances. They withstand the mounting pressure of
long and erratic work schedules and maintain they cool even amidst trying circumstances.
8. Curiosity: it is another very important quality of any good reporter. Good Reporters are curious
all the time. The spirit of curiosity helps them get good stories.
9. Skepticism: Good Reporters should not take anything for granted. Healthy skepticism is good for
a reporter. They should not clear their doubt without undeniable proof.
10. Punctuality: This quality helps the reporter to reach on time and not missing anything. It is always
better to reach on time and wait that reach late and ask others. Punctuality also helps in building
faithful relationship with the sources.
11. Patience: Reporting is a daily test of patience, the voluntary self-control or restraint that helps one
to endure waiting, provocation, injustice, suffering or nay of the unpleasant situation.
12. Imaginativeness: Being a storyteller the reporter should be imaginative to narrate the story in the
most interesting manner. This quality helps in presenting the story in a better manner.
13. Farsightedness: This is about envisioning the future. It helps the reporters to identify the
processes and people that will be important in future. It is one quality that helps in determining
the importance of an event and in thinking ahead of time and prepare accordingly.
14. Self-Discipline: It refers to the dedication and firm commitment. Self-discipline helps the
reporters to discharge their responsibilities effectively.
15. Integrity: Good Reporters are always honest and strictly adhere to the code of ethics. The
reporters should not be biased by temptations. This quality helps the reporter to do away with all
the immoral influences prevailing in the field.
16. Fearlessness: A good reporter is courageous and confident. Without courage and confidence, it is
difficult for a person to be a good reporter. The Reporter should not fear to ask unpleasant
questions and taking risk to dig out the truth.
17. Tactfulness: The Reporter should have capability to handling any kind of situation and people
gracefully without causing hurt or angry feelings. A good reporter is always considerate of others
and careful not to embarrass, upset or offend any. Flexibility and sociability helps in developing
contact and information gathering.
18. Initiative: Reporters should have outgoing nature with initiative and drive. They must be assertive
and aggressive to be successful.
19. Mobility: Good reporters always enjoy moving around and meeting people. They never hesitate
to travel to distance places for stories, if required.
20. Diligence: The reporters have to be diligent workers. Their jobs require painstaking exertion of
effort, alertness and dedication. They should seek perfection, love their jobs and work hard to
deliver spotless pieces of work.
21. Good Writing Ability: Reporters should be able to write well. By writing very well I mean
writing clear and well-focused stories that is easy to understand by everyone. Good spellings,
punctuations and grammar are also requirements.
 22. Well Read: There is the need to have wide general knowledge on different issues. The Reporter
has to be better read or well informed about the surroundings in order to tap the changing
attitudes of the society and changing situation.
23. Team Spirit: Since News Production is a team work, the reporter should have the zeal to work in
a team. As a member of the team the reporters should know in clear terms, the role and
responsibilities vested upon them and deliver them in the best way possible.

Role & Function of a Reporter

As we discussed, the News reporters are responsible for gathering and writing about the news as it
happens. The advent of 24-hour news era puts pressure on reporters covering national or international
events to be first with the story or to find a new angle. Let’s discuss some basic roles and functions of a
News Reporter.
According to Reuters Foundation Reporters handbook, an important role of a reporter in a democracy is
to act as a buffer between the government and the public. It is a two- way channel. The reporter can
explain government decisions and actions to the public and pass the public view back to government.
The reporter has a role in: -

 Scrutinizing the work of the government, the courts and big companies to highlight failures and
successes
 Rooting out corruption at all levels
 Drawing attention to official negligence or incompetence.
 Giving a voice to sectors of society without one
 Helping the public cast votes in elections by explaining political programs of rival parties
 Explaining economic trends
A reporter must keep her eyes open and her mind attuned to the present, future as well as the past to
perform his function effectively. As she has to gather news, she is required to be on the move most of the
time usually within the area allotted to him.
Reporters have to interview persons and attend public functions and meetings, press conferences and law
courts to investigate events of public interest, to collect news and to ascertain news on contemporary
events. They travel to the scene, gather information and quotes from official sources such as police or fire
crews or witnesses, and put together a story.
In order to add depth to their news stories, reporters do research. They check the accuracy of facts and
contact experts or witnesses to obtain more detailed information on the issue.
They also confer with the legal team to ensure that sensitive stories are not breaking any laws. The
background stories are added to the original news story to make the article more elaborate or to fit the
length of time slot allocated by the editor.
The Reporters also investigate issues of public concern, such as allegations of corruption or inefficiency
in local government. Reporter interview people, who can provide insight on the issues, collect data, gather
documents and build a story over time.
The basic functions of a reporter are to inform, to educate, to Interpret, to mold opinion, to facilitate
decision making, to entertain and to act as agent of change.
Role, Function & Qualities of Chief Reporter & Bureau Chief
Chief Reporters and Bureau Chiefs perform many of the same tasks as members of the reporters in their
team. Like other Reporters, they investigate leads and tips, conduct interviews, research stories, write and
edit news, meet publication or broadcast deadlines, and report on newsworthy events. However, one of
the major responsibilities of a Chief Reporter or Bureau Chief is to coordinate and assign news coverage
to reporters and other members of the news team. They also serve as administrators, working with editors
to set budgets and fulfil human resources functions related to training, hiring, and managing staff.
In addition to the qualities required for a Reporter as discussed above, the Chief Reporter and Bureau
Chief possess the following qualities: -

 Calmness: They are never excited or perturbed when major stories break. Their Calmness helps
them in objectively assessing the news and according the priority it deserves.
 Judgment: They are good at quick and right decision making.
 Fairness: Their Fairness helps in establishing the credibility of the newspaper.
 Quick Grasp: They have the ability to size up the situation as events unfold and the ability to find
the right words to express.
 Knowing the Audience: They have an ability to see and present the story from the readers’
perspective
 Positive Skepticism: Being senior Journalists, they have a healthy skepticism to spot the source of
potential errors.
 Knowledge: Chief Reporters and Bureau Chiefs are generally more knowledgeable about the
socio-political environment, the localities, business, culture and others.
 Memory: Their ability to recall the past events puts the news in a new perspective or adds more
background to the story.
  Leadership: Being head of the team, they set example for others to follow. They possess excellent
organizational and management skills.
 Domain Expertise: They have sound understanding of news workflow and news asset
management.

Verbal and nonverbal communication

Verbal Communication
Verbal communication refers to spoken messages that we transmit by producing sounds. In general, we
spend a great deal of time participating in verbal communication either as speakers or listeners. Verbal
communication is important to human relationship starting from interpersonal, group communication to
other communication contexts.
Verbal communication entails the use of words in delivering the intended message.
The two major forms of verbal communication are: -
1. Written communication
2. Oral Communication

Written Communication
Written communication refers to communication through written or printed words. Although, it is verbal
in nature, written communication has a non-verbal dimension. Written communication is formal, literate
and follows the rules of grammar.
Written communication includes traditional pen and paper letters and documents, typed electronic
documents, e-mails, text chats, SMS and anything else conveyed through written symbols such as
language.
This type of communication is indispensable for formal business communications and issuing legal
instructions.
Communication forms that predominantly use written communication include handbooks, brochures,
contracts, memos, press releases, formal business proposals, and the like. The effectiveness of written
communication depends on the writing style, grammar, vocabulary, and clarity

Oral Communication
The other form of verbal communication is the spoken word, either face-to-face or through phone, voice
chat, video conferencing or any other medium.
Various forms of informal communications such as the grapevine or informal rumor mill, and formal
communications such as lectures, conferences are forms of oral communication. Oral communication
finds use in discussions and causal and informal conversations. The effectiveness of oral conversations
depends on the clarity of speech, voice modulation, pitch, volume, speed, and even non-verbal
communications such as body language and visual cues.
Verbal communication makes the process of conveying thoughts easier and faster, and it remains the most
successful form of communication. Yet, this makes up only seven percent of all human communication!

Non-Verbal Communication
Human beings communicate verbally through words and nonverbally through facial expressions and body
movements. Nonverbal communication can be understood as the process of sending and receiving
messages without the use of words. However, it should be noted that nonverbal communication can take
place either alone or with words.
Look at the following figure
Different human emotions
What can you make out from the above? They are different facial expressions conveying happiness,
anger, grief, fear etc. Look at a policeman at the traffic point. He doesn’t speak a word but uses his hands
to signal ‘stop’ or ‘go’.

Example of Nonverbal Communication: - Traffic Cop giving signals

Someone asks you, ―Are you going to the market? You nod your head and say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The way
you nod would make the other person understand what you mean. In all the above cases, we express our
feelings or experiences without using any words.
Here we are communicating messages through the following means: -
1. By expressions on our face. These include a smile, a nod, looking at the eyes of the other person,
for listening or showing interest or narrowing of eyes or raising our eyebrows
2. By body movements. Think of signaling ‘bye’ when we leave or pointing fingers or what a
cricket umpire does when he raises his finger to tell that a batsman is out.

For example, you extend your hand to shake hands with someone and that person does not
respond to you or just touches your palm or tightens the grip. This means that the person wants to
keep away from you. Just touching your palm would mean that the person does not consider you
as an equal. A warm right hand shake would mean expression of closeness or friendship.

In Nepal and countries like India or Sri Lanka a ‘NAMASTE’ or folding both the hands together
is a sign of welcome or respect.

Almost all around the world folding of hands while praying is practiced. All the above examples
show how we communicate without using any words or by using gestures or what may be called
body language. Such communication is called ‘nonverbal communication’ because no words are
used to communicate. According to experts, almost 80% of all communication is nonverbal.
Nonverbal communication is also practiced by people who are physically challenged as far as
their faculty of sight or speech is concerned.

Media laws and ethics

Ethics needs to be a part of all the profession. It is even more needed to be followed by media
professionals to keep the image as ‘fourth estate’ intact.
According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, ‘ethics’ is a system or code of morals, of a particular
person, religion, group, profession, etc.
Ethics, according to the Macquarie Dictionary, is a system of Moral Principles, by which actions and
proposals may be judged good or bad or right or wrong. Ethics ask what we should do in some
circumstance, or what we should do as participants in some form of activity or profession.
Ethics is the difficult practical task of applying norms and standards to ever new and changing
circumstances. Ethics is the process of inventing new and better ethical responses to problems and
conflicts.
Values and Ethics of Journalism
Law is imposed on journalists by the government of a nation similar to how it is imposed on all the
citizens of the nation. Laws like defamation, contempt of court, contempt of parliament exist to check the
excesses and errors of the journalists. Principles of Journalism deal with how news should be received
from various sources and reported. Ethics are the moral principles involved in news reporting and
coverage.
A journalist needs to have certain moral principles to be followed in his/her profession which could be
termed as ‘professional ethics’.
Ethics could not be forced on any one but each profession carry a ‘Code of Conduct’ to be seen as rules of
practice.
Ethical guidelines are peculiar to each profession and are designed to prevent abuse and unrestrained use
of the powers and privileges of that profession. Many Newspapers in Nepal have formulated their own
code of ethics for their employees to follow. Those are the days when journalism was considered to be an
idealistic profession and pen’s mightiness over sword was well maintained. Now the journalist as well as
the society has accepted that journalism is just another profession and media organizations are considers
being business ventures that compete with each other to win the race and be ahead in ratings. The rising
popularity of electronic media and their giving utmost importance to entertainment aspect has paved the
way for this sort of unhealthy competition. Even in such a scenario, some basic ethical considerations
need to be kept in mind by the journalists.

1. Objectivity
A newspaper or channel might be having affiliation towards a particular political party or a
business group. But, in news reporting, such priorities of the media organizations should not get
reflected. Also, the reporter of a news item should also be careful that his individualistic opinions
should not be part of the report. News and Views need to be always separate to maintain
objectivity by the journalists. When public interest and the interest of a particular media
organization may not go hand in hand in certain instances, priority needs to be given to the public
interest and not business interests.

2. Sincerity, Truthfulness, Accuracy

Good faith with the reader is the foundation of all journalism worthy of the name. By every
consideration of good faith a newspaper is constrained to be truthful. It is not to be excused for
lack of thoroughness or accuracy within its control, or failure to obtain command of these
essential qualities.
3. Decency
Journalists also have moral responsibility in using the words and illustrations they use. In news
reporting, especially stories on as fire, accident or sex the decision over what details to include
involves more than just newsworthiness. The reporting should not show or promote violence and
obscenity. Obligation to protect moral of children should also be remembered. Journalist should
use the words or illustrations which are decent for the society and are of good taste.

4. Impartiality
Sound practice makes clear distinction between news reports and expression of opinion. News
reports should be free from opinion or basics of any kind. This rules do not apply to so-called
special articles unmistakably devoted to advocacy or characterized by a signature authorizing
own conclusion and interpretation of the writer. News Reporting should balance with presentation
of every side involved.

5. Crass Commercialism
The practice of cut-throat commercial competition with rivals with sole aim to make money/profit
without any consideration of how it affects others is known as Crass Commercialism. All the
media organizations are entitled to make profit, but making money should not be sole objective of
media organizations. They should not practice unfair means to earn more profits. They should not
be involved in Crass commercialism, including in unfair practices like obscene scenes, pictures
and writings. That such portrayal would spoil the mind of the young stars and children should be
kept in mind by the media.

6. Sensationalism
Sensationalizing the events/ happenings needs to be avoided by an ethical journalist. Basically in
the time of communal clashes and disasters, there is a rush and anxiety among the people to know
the latest news. Instead of cashing on such expectations, media should see that the reporting is
done in such a way that it would not aggravate the clashes or create
unnecessary fear in minds of the people about a disaster.

7. Privacy
Privacy of any individual can be invaded physically by sticking a microphone into someone‘s
face, or it may be publishing embarrassing personal information. But Publication or broadcasting
of information, including pictures, about the private lives or concerns of individuals without
consent should be avoided. However, this is acceptable only if a serious legitimate public interest
outweighs their normal human right of privacy or where the material concerned ought to be
published in the public interest which outweighs the normal human right of privacy. Also Sources
are needed for breaking news but at the same time their privacy also should be respected and
safeguarded and should not be taken for granted by media.

8. Obscenity
Obscenity can be defined as any work that appeals predominantly to prurient interest or any work
that depicts or describes sexual conduct in patently offensive way. Obscenity is referred to
indecent expressions, such as words, images and actions. Extreme care must be taken by
journalists that obscene word and depiction are avoided specially while reporting crime and
involving women.
 Society of Professional Journalists: Code of Ethics
The Society of Professional Journalists created a code of ethics that are in effect today. The main
mantra of the code is "Seek truth and Report it!”

The code also states that: "Journalists should be honest, fair, and courageous in gathering,
reporting, and interpreting information.

Journalists should:

 "Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent
error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible."
 "Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to
allegations of wrong doing."
 "Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as
possible on sources' reliability."
 "Always question sources' motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions
attached to any promises made in exchange for information. Keep promises."
 "Make certain that headlines, news teases, and promotional material, photos, video,
audio, graphics, sound bites, and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not
oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context."
 "Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical
clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations."
 "Avoid misleading reenactments or staged news events. If reenactment is necessary to tell
a story, label it."
 "Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when
traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such
methods should be explained as part of the story."
 "Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even,
when it is unpopular to do so."
 "Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing on those values on others."
 "Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual
orientation, disability, physical appearance, or social status."
 "Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant." "Give voice to
the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid."
 "Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be
labeled and not misrepresent fact or content."
 "Distinguish news from advertising, and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the
two."
 "Recognize and special obligation to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the
open and that government records are open to inspection."

Code of conduct in Journalism

Introduction
Every profession functions by certain norms of conduct evolved by years of practice with objective to
improve its standards prevent its abuse and above all contribute to the society and social development.
Journalism requires a high degree of public trust.
To earn and maintain this trust, it is morally imperative for every journalist and every news segment to
observe the highest professional and ethical standards. These standards or known as professional code of
ethics in journalism. The principles of Journalistic codes of ethics guide the journalists in difficult
situations. It serves as a companion of the practicing journalist provides ethical guidelines by which
practitioners can judge and be judged.
Adoption of a code of ethics by a news medium helps to safeguard the public trust given to journalists.
Professional media, including print and online newspapers as well as broadcasters, commonly adopt
codes of ethics and other policy guidelines to govern their journalistic pursuits. Such codes give
uniformity to the newsgathering process and serve to remind all staff members that they operate under
standards of honesty and performance.
Various organizations have set their own code of conduct for journalism. Some media organizations have
their own code of conduct for their reporters. In this unit lets discuss the commonly practiced code of
conduct in journalism.
TYPES OF CRISIS OR DISASTER SITUATIONS
Disaster encompasses many events such as natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires,
etc. or IT-related disasters comprising computer or network failures. There can be health disasters ranging
from epidemics to environmental catastrophe or crime-related disasters such as assault, hostage situations,
bomb threats, and cybercrimes. Each disaster situation is unique and requires different kinds of strategy to
be handled. We shall discuss them in brief.

1. Natural Disasters - Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, cyclones or any kind of epidemic can cause
severe damage to the functioning of an organization. Disasters that cause a company to cease or
limit operations will hurt partners and consumers, who may choose to replace their services. A
company can’t do anything to prevent a natural disaster, but it certainly can prepare crisis
scenario drills.

2. Environmental Issues - Environmental concerns continue to remain important to consumers. As a

result, many companies have started to implement “green” practices and sustainably. However,
for companies that deal with sensitive environmental issues such as pipeline construction,
wetlands mitigation, energy, hazardous materials, and others, the demand for transparency from
the public can be high.

3. Cyber security–Cyber-attacks and hacks are an incredible threat to all businesses. Hacks scare
customers, put them in danger of identity theft, and jeopardize the security of proprietary
information. You can work to prevent cybersecurity threats, but you can never guarantee that they
won’t happen. Even multi-national companies are at risk. Every corporation needs a crisis
management plan for cybersecurity.

4. Financial Crisis - A financial crisis occurs when a business loses its asset value or when it can't
afford to pay off its debt. Typically, this is caused by a significant drop in demand for the product
or service. In these cases, the company must move funds around to cover immediate short-term
 costs. Then, they'll need to reanalyze their revenue sources to look for new ways to generate long-
term income. They may also enhance their profit margins.

5. Personnel Crisis. Personnel crises occur when an employee or individual who's associated with
the company is involved in unethical or illegal misconduct. These situations can result in a
serious backlash against the company. They can also affect the reputation of an organization.

6. Organizational Crisis - Organizational crises are situations where the company has significantly
wronged its consumers. Rather than creating mutually beneficial relationships, businesses may
use their customers only for profit. This type of crisis is often the result of misconducts such as
withholding of information, exploiting customers, and misusing managerial powers. Changing
company culture is the best way to address organizational crises situations. Embracing an
organizational culture that's dedicated to customer success can reduce the chances of
encountering such crisis.

7. Technological Crisis - In today's tech-driven age, businesses heavily rely on technology to

perform their day-to-day functions. So, when the same technology goes wrong, they have a lot
more to worry about. Ecommerce sites and software companies can lose millions of potential
leads if their servers malfunction.

8. Product Recalls - Product recalls or defects can damage a company’s reputation for years. You
should have a crisis communications plan in place if a problem, such as above, ever arises.
During a product recall, not only sales of your particular product, but that in other product lines
may also suffer. Prevention and communication are key to rebuilding brand trust.

9. Employee Misconduct - People are the core of every company. They are the element that interact,
build relationships, and promote trust with your brand. An individual employee can brighten a
customer’s day, or they can ruin the reputation of a company. If an employee violates company
policy, or represents the company with ill-intent, the same needs immediate action.

10. Conflict with Interest Groups - Conflicts can arise from political, environmental, social
and cultural interest groups who may feel threatened by some of company’s initiatives. Ignoring
them may backfire because but they are members of the community and being a stakeholder their
concerns should be addressed.

IMPORTANCE OF NEWS MEDIA DURING A DISASTER SITUATION

If the incident is serious, then the news media will be on scene or calling to obtain details. There may be
numerous requests for information from local, regional or national media. The challenge of managing
large numbers of requests for information, interviews and public statements can be overwhelming.
Prioritization of requests for information and development of press releases is needed. State in the
company policy that only authorized spokespersons are permitted to speak to the news media.
Communicate the policy to all employees explaining that it is best to speak with one informed voice.
2.6.1 Messages During and following an incident, each audience will seek information that is specific to
them. “How does the incident affect my order, job, safety, community…?” These questions need to be
answered while communicating with each audience. After identifying the audiences and the spokesperson
assigned to communicate with each audience, the next step is to script messages. Writing messages during
an incident can be challenging due to the pressure caused by ‘too much to do’ and ‘in too little time.’
Therefore, it is best to script message templates in advance if possible. 2.6.2 Importance of pre scripted
messages Pre-scripted messages should be prepared using information developed during risk assessment.
The risk assessment process should identify scenarios that would require communications with
stakeholders. Different scenarios requiring pre scripted messages include:  accidents that injure
employees or others  property damage to company facilities  liability associated injury to or damage
sustained by others  production or service interruptions  chemical spills or releases with potential off-
site consequences, including environmental  product quality issues Messages should be scripted to
address the specific needs of each audience, which may include:  Customer  Employee  Government
Regulator  Elected Official  Suppliers  Management  Neighbours in the Community  News Media
Messages can be pre-scripted as templates with blanks to be filled in when needed. Pre-scripted messages
can be developed, approved by the management team and stored on a remotely accessible server for quick
editing and release when needed. Another important element of the crisis communications plan is the
need to coordinate the release of information. When there is an emergency or a major impact on the
business, there may be limited information about the incident or its potential impacts. The story may
change many times as new information becomes available. One of the aims of the crisis communication
plan is to ensure consistency of message. If you tell one audience one story and another audience a
different story, it will raise questions of competency and credibility. Protocols need to be established to
ensure that the core of each message is consistent.
Contact & Information Centres
Communications before, during and following an emergency is bi-directional. Stakeholders or audiences
will ask questions and request information. The business will answer questions and provide information.
This flow of information should be managed through a communications hub.
ontact and Information Centres form the “hub” of the crisis communications plan.
The centres receive requests for information from each audience and disseminate
information to each audience. Employees from multiple departments may be assigned
to communicate with a specific audience.
The contact centre fields inquiries from customers, suppliers, the news media and
others. The contact centre should be properly equipped and staffed by personnel to
answer requests for information. The staff working within the contact centre should
be provided with scripts and a “frequently asked questions” (FAQ) document to
answer questions consistently and accurately.
The “information centre” consists of existing staff and technologies (e.g., website,
call centre, bulletin boards, etc.) that field requests for information from customers,
employees and others during normal business hours. The information centre and its
technologies can be used to disseminate information out to audiences and post the
same for online reading.

The goal of the crisis communication team is to gather information about the incident.
This should include monitoring the types of questions posed to call centre operators
or staff in the office; emails received by customer service; social media chatter or
stories broadcast by the news media. Using this input, the crisis communication team
can inform management about the issues that are being raised by stakeholders. The
management should, in turn, provide input to the messages generated by the crisis
communications team. The team can then create appropriate messages and
disseminate information approved for release.
2.6.4 Resources for Crisis Communications
Resources should be available within the primary business site. The following
provisions should be made to set up similar capabilities within an alternate site in case
the primary site cannot be occupied:
 Telephones with dedicated or addressable lines for incoming calls and
separate lines for outgoing calls
 Access to any electronic notification system used to inform employees
 Electronic mail (with access to “info@” inbox and ability to send messages)
 Fax machine (one for receiving and one for sending)
 Webmaster access to company website to post updates
 Access to social media accounts
 Access to local area network, secure remote server, message template library
and printers
 Hard copies of emergency response, business continuity and crisis
communications plan
 Site and building diagrams, information related to business processes and loss
prevention programs (e.g., safety and health, property loss prevention,
physical and information/cyber security, fleet safety, environmental
management and product quality)
 Copiers
 Forms for documenting events as they unfold
 Message boards (flipcharts, white boards, etc.)
 Pens, pencils, paper, clipboards and other stationery supplies

Media and Environmental Issues

We are living in a polluted environment. Our times are marked by oil spills over huge water bodies,
denudation of forests, hole in the ozone layer, topsoil erosion, wildlife extinction and so on. Each of these
has a long term effect on human beings. Pollution is man-made. It is not a natural disaster. Whenever
human beings interfere in the balance of nature, pollution occurs. What is thereby needed is a complete
awareness of the phenomenon among the people. It is here that media can play a lead role. Media can
make the people environmentally aware thorough information.

Media can take our attention towards environmental hazards. In 1962, for instance, Rachel Carson’s
book, Silent Spring, was published. This book was not only read by people in the US. It was read all over
the world. It led to sudden spurt in the awareness levels of the people about our environment. Media, such
as newspapers, TV and Internet can create similar awareness among the people.

In Nepal mass media has a definite role to play in creating awareness on environmental issues.
Government can’t always be trusted on the matter. Many a time government departments conceal certain
facts. It is through investigative journalism that these facts are revealed to the people at large. Many
environmentalists treat mass media as a powerful tool of reaching out to the masses.
Gender and Media
It is alleged that media in Nepal, at least, doesn’t address serious issues about exploitation and unequal
treatment of women in different spheres. Rather it has often portrayed women as sex objects. Media
reports sex related incidents by way of sensationalizing news of atrocities on women. Thus, instead of
highlighting the exploitation of women they end up becoming one of the reasons for an increase in
violence against women. Media coverage mostly tends to glorify crime against women. Again, it is
alleged that in a very subtle way media has perpetuated the stereotyped image of woman as a householder
and an inconsequential entity in the traditional value system. Generally, women’s problems never figure
on the front page of a newspaper unless it is a cold-blooded murder or a case of rape. Newspapers, even
in the women’s page, don’t usually address relevant issues for women. Instead, reporting is mostly
centered on beauty tips, recipes and latest fashion.
Reporting of crime against women:
In a study conducted by Media Advocacy Group, the following recommendations were made: -
 1. Media needs to take an extended, broader view of crimes against women. It has to be
instrumental in conducting a social audit on factors responsible for increasing crimes, particularly
against women and children.
2. It also has to be instrumental in creating awareness in the civil society of the causes and nature of
the crime itself, and of the preventive measures.
3. When treating these issues, media has to be factual and objective.
The study found that, the only regulation that governs a sensitive reporting on the issue is that the rape
victim’s name should not be disclosed. Apart from this, the study found no strong regulation regarding
the reporting of such crimes against women. Often, the study observed, that the whole act was reported
graphically by media. The victim’s family and address was cited, thereby making a mockery of the above
regulation. Media, on an average, was insensitive while reporting crime against women.
Limited coverage of women’s issues: Newspaper coverage of serious issues affecting women, such as
adverse sex ratio, infant and maternal mortality, crime against women and the effects of poverty against
women and their families, is rather limited. A lot of space, instead, goes to fashion, glamour, beauty aids,
weight reduction, cookery and the like. There are comparatively fewer articles on career opportunities,
health awareness, entrepreneurship, legal aids, counselling services and financial management for
women. Research has found scant importance being given to development issues of women.
Effective informative communication is one of the most important channels for the growth and
development of women in the informal and unorganized sector. Without vital information regarding
services and benefits available through legislation, government schemes, banks and voluntary
organizations, women can hardly take advantage of them.
Thus the media should take into consideration the following points: -
1. The media must project the working women in the unorganized sector as worker and not merely
as performing the duties of wife / daughter. Media need to project women as producers and not
merely consumers of goods and services.
2. While projecting the problems of women in poverty, media should make sure that conflicting role
models are not portrayed.
3. To improve content and coverage, coordinated efforts for increased interaction between NGOs,
women’s social groups, research organizations and media should be developed.
4. There should be a widespread understanding of women’s issues. Without the same the nation
can’t progress.
5. The government must formulate clear guidelines regarding positive portrayal of women on TV.
The portrayal must cover all aspects of the lives of women.
6. The number of commercial formula films must be drastically reduced. The cheap song-and-dance
sequences should be reduced.
7. Women shouldn’t be portrayed in stereotyped images that emphasize positive, submissive
qualities. Both men and women should be portrayed in ways that encourage mutual respect and a
spirit of give and take between the sexes.
8. The foreign exchange resource should be spent on importing worthwhile educative programs on
women in neighboring and other third world countries.
9. It is necessary to ensure that a large number of rural women gain access to TV.

Media and Natural Disasters

The risk of natural disasters is two-fold in India:  Firstly, the country’s geo-climatic conditions
heightens the risk of experiencing disasters (geo-climatic conditions determine the weather pattern of a
particular geographical area)  Secondly, the coping capacity of the people in experiencing disasters is
very poor due to their socio-economic vulnerability (socio-economic vulnerability is the inability of
people to withstand adverse impacts of natural hazards due to their social status and economic condition)
During a disaster access to information, communication and even for that matter basic need becomes
limited. A medium accessible even to the marginalized and the deprived during emergency situations
makes sense. Community radio establishes a pronounced role in a rapidly changing climatic environment.
Immediately after a disaster, the first response comes from the members within the community. The
collaborative horizontal communication approach adopted by a community radio works well since it
addresses the specific needs of the communities during a disaster. Now let’s look at a community’s
communication needs prior to, during and post a disaster.
Communication Needs (Before, During and After Disaster)
Disasters redefine the basic needs of human beings. Apart from food, water, clothing and shelter, people
become desperate for information. The need for information and communication with respect to
communities during a disaster is recognized as a crucial humanitarian aid by many. Though we are in the
era of information and knowledge explosion with connectivity to multiple media platforms, disasters
simply disrupt these diverse sources of information. There arises a strong need for a sustainable media
disseminating crucial messages to the first responders of a community, momentous information of
approaching hazards, helpline communication for disaster relief, recovery and rehabilitation. Also the
media should be able to reach out to the nook and corner of the country. Such ability is vested with radio
in a country like India. With the need of specificity in information during dire situations, like natural
disasters, community media plays a crucial role. Let’s now look at the connectivity between community
media and natural disasters.
Community Media and Disasters
As mentioned earlier, community media is an umbrella term that refers to the media created and managed
by a community and devoid of any commercial interests. The channels of community media include
Community Television, Community Radio (Narrowcasting and Cablecasting techniques), Traditional
media like Thandora, Puppetry (Shadow art), Street play etc. Of all the community media platforms,
community radio has a great role in disaster management, risk communication at the grassroots level.
Credibility and earning of trust from the people is a crucial asset for any emergency communication
medium. Community radio earns the trust from the communities at ease since there is transparency in the
production and dissemination of information as well as participation from the community.
Reporting and writing for disaster helps to:-

 Informed people with frequent situational updates;  Announced emergency alerts;  Guided with
information on disaster relief, rehabilitation and recovery;  Disseminated crucial health inputs; 
Offered emergency helpline service for the distressed; and Offered compensatory classes for the public
exam going students who missed classes during the deluge due to closure of schools.

1. Bring about social change and prosper development of the community by using information and
communication as a tool; 2. Foster disaster preparedness for the coastal communities in
Nagapattinam district and strengthen their livelihood through community owned media centre. 3.
Build the capacity and resilience of the community; 4. Connect the members of the community
and help them stay in touch; 5. Discover the innate potential of the members of community, build
 their skills and promote their identity and preserve the same through dissemination of audio
programmes; and 6. Give voice to voiceless through provision of an apt platform.

Climate change
Climate change refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result
of human activity. It is a change that is noticeable over a longer duration such as decades or even longer.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) explanation of climate
change states that climate change is attributed to human activity directly or indirectly and it occurs in
addition to the natural climate variability. Such a change in climate is also called as anthropogenic climate
change.
Climate change communication
As you have gone through the basic concepts related with climate change in the previous section, you will
know that climate change as a subject majorly includes scientific information pertaining to assessments of
natural resources like air, water, flora and fauna, and the periodic changes in these which resultantly
affect human survival. Next, before we talk about climate change communication, let’s briefly revisit our
understanding of communication. Communication is a process of exchange of facts, ideas, and opinions
and as a means that individuals or organizations share meaning and understanding with one another.
Derived from a Latin word “Communis”, it means “to share”. This is expressed by John Dervey as
“Communication is a process of sharing experiences till it becomes a common possession. It modifies the
disposition of both the parties who take part in it.” To trace back the concept of climate change
communication, it is relatively a new terminology recently evolved with growing concerns of changing
climate. When human-induced climate change was more clearly understood and recognised as a public
agenda during 1980s, the question of how to communicate about this issue with the general public also
emerged more steeply. Before this, most of the communication pertaining to climate change was focused
on research findings and reports, journalistic reporting on severe extreme events or natural calamities,
highlevel conferences or policy meetings. But the implications of climate change were soon recognized as
potentially pervasive and profound across world regions and economic sectors. While the previous
communication was confined to the scientists’ and policymakers’ community, however with the growing
understanding of commitment to climate change, the issue of adaptation and the need to communicate it
at the community level is becoming more evident and necessary. The challenges of communicating
climate change and their implications bring us back to Aristotle who gave one of the earliest theories of
communication. In his rhetoric model, Aristotle brought out the psychological aspects of communication
during processing of received information by audience, rhetorical skills of the speaker, the actual
interaction between speaker and audience, and the role such rhetorical interaction plays in the larger
context of society. Following the basic components of communication, we must consider these basic
components which give us the cues to plan effective climate change communication: 4.1. Purpose or
objective of the communication The purpose of the communication activity is the first consideration – is
it for creating general awareness about carbon emissions, is it to motivate people towards recycling, or is
it to help farmers adapt their farming methods according to the changing climate? Each of these
objectives will shape the entire communication process differently. Hence the purpose or the end goal
should be defined as a prerequisite. 4.2. Primary audience for the message An understanding about your
audience’s knowledge, cultural beliefs, norms and practices help us to gauge their receptive intent and
ability to change their practice. Therefore it is again one of the basic principles of communication to
know your audience. 4.3. Framing of the issue (language, metaphors, visual etc.) ‘Frames’ build the
context of the message thus providing the intended perspective from which audiences should perceive it.
The uncertainty associated with climate change and its implications makes it a complex issue for people
to respond, as it spurs confusion and defensiveness eventually leading to ‘we are not at risk’ attitude. This
results in a difficult situation of incorporating uncertainty into scientificcommunications in a way that
does not cause inaction. Therefore correct framing of the message is utmost important to make people
respond in a positive way. While it is important that people’s risk perception should be maintained, the
message has to be framed in a way to convey the possibilities to reduce the risk and sustain healthy lives
rather than highlighting only the risks. E.g. while communicating climate change results on agriculture
with farmers, the message can be on the present and future risks associated but can focus more on the
adaptation solutions for them. 4.4. Messages (what information and from which source) Messages should
be internally consistent in all aspects, which means, that it should be completely validated and should
never reflect any kind of scientific uncertainty. Unmatched or poorly designed messages produce
cognitive dissonance which affects the persuasiveness of the message. An effective message should help
people understand the problem and also direct them towards the appropriate behavioural response.Based
on people’s climate change related mental models, the message must help them overcome the challenges
of communicating climate change. It should be able to make the invisible into visible, intangible into
tangible, distant to home and so on. This works to improve the risk perception of the people making them
pay attention to the issue. Messages must be able to retain audience’s attention through humour, imagery,
curiosity, challenge or opportunity. 4.5. Messengers (e.g., politicians, scientists, advocates, pundits,
business people, celebrities, peers etc.) Messengers or the communicators/ opinion leaders/ gatekeepers of
information are those key people who are critical for social validation and acceptance of new information
and ideas. Since climate change mostly does not show immediate tangible impacts, it is most often not
considered as a ‘real phenomenon’ or is seen as something related with some other distant foreign
community. In such a case, local communicators play an important role in communicating the so-called
‘other’s threats’ into actual problems of people. 4.6. Channels and modes of communication With
influence from different theories of behaviour change, different channels of communication have been in
practice for long. However, an engaging and dialoguing two-way channel is seen to have maximum
advantage of addressing all the above mentioned points. There are some of the critical and essential
questions which reflect the challenges and opportunities of communication. One can define the answers to
these questions, but choosing most appropriate channel or media is important. Media should be able to
integrate the above considerations within its own nature without impact of the communication getting
affected by its limitations or features. 4.7. Community media and climate change Talking of media forms
for communicating with community, a community media acts as ‘discursive space’ for people to address
issues of public interest and concern through an exchange of information and ideas. For such an
exchange, a community creates, and is also created by a community communication system, which
includes the various communication roles, needs, and resources available to the individuals and subgroups
which make up the community, called community media. It stems from the need for a participatory
approach to development which is people centric and thus requires a mechanism for informing, involving
and empowering people. This characteristic makes communication an integral component in the
development process where the role of communication expands to become a process of affecting or
influencing behaviour of individuals or groups towards certain desired goals and objectives, necessarily
for the benefit of the entire society. Also termed as development communication, this form of
communication is well recognised as important in mobilizing people and seeking their willing
participation in the development process. It is important to note that following characteristics of
community media makes it one of the most suitable channels of communicating climate change
communication with communities:  allowing people to participate in the process of creating content with
their issues and concerns;  bringing forth issues that are more localized in nature;  enabling diverse
sections of community to express their ideas and values. There have been quite successful examples of
different community media groups such as community radio stations, participatory videos and community
theatre groups addressing local community issues related with climate change. Several studies have been
able to showcase the remarkable work done by these groups in strengthening people’s understanding on
climate change issues; sharing their traditional practices that are actually well-tested indigenous coping
mechanisms; and connect locals with the scientific knowledge to respond to climatic variations and their
impacts in a better way. To explain how any community media can use its model for climate change
communication, the next section presents some successful case studies of functional community media
channels.

MASS MEDIA AND ENVIRONMENT

Across a wide array of disciplines, people have been interested in understanding and harnessing the
influential power and scope of mass media for a long time. Because of this power of media to reach a
large audience in a small amount of time, mass media is a tool that is incredibly good at rallying the
support of a variety of diverse people at once. The media is also able to attract such a large audience
because it simultaneously approaches people as the diverse beings that they are (Bennett & Entman,
2001). The rapid expansion and new breakthroughs in the arena of science and technology have ushered
humankind into a new age. Unfortunately, the same advancement has had devastating effect on the nature
itself. At this juncture, media plays a crucial role in forming public opinion and influencing the policy
decisions. A common citizen gains confidence and capacity to become effective agents of change when
aware of environment and development related issues. 12.4.1 Environmental Communication Robert Cox
defines environmental communication as “the pragmatic and constitutive vehicle for our understanding of
the environment as well as our relationships to the natural world; it is the symbolic medium that we use in
constructing environmental problems and negotiating society’s different responses to them.” Alexander
Flor explains that “environmental communication has six essentials: knowledge of ecological laws;
sensitivity to the cultural dimension; ability to network effectively; efficiency in using media for social
agenda setting; appreciation and practice of environmental ethics; and conflict resolution, mediation and
arbitration.”
Symbolic action of environmental communication serves two functions Environment and Media
pragmatic and constitutive. 1) Environmental communication is pragmatic because it solves
environmental problems by educating, alerting, collaborating, persuading and mobilising the masses.
Communication plays a vital role in this area by helping citizens and organisations to achieve the goals
towards solving environmental problems. 2) Environmental communication is constitutive because by
shaping our perceptions of environment it helps to shape people’s understandings of environmental
issues. 12.4.2 Environmental Journalism To be an environmental journalist, one must write about nature
but also have an understanding of scientific language and practice, knowledge of historical environmental
events, the ability to keep abreast of environmental policy decisions and the work of environmental
organisations. S/he should have a general understanding of current environmental concerns, and the
ability to communicate all of that information to the public in such a way that it can be easily understood,
despite its complexity.With growing environmental pollution and industrialisation environmental
journalism came up to study and analyse all threats to the environment and ecology, and to convey these
fears and their remedies to the people. The Bhopal Gas tragedy was the first instance which woke up the
media and drove them to environmental journalism. Dissemination of environmental facts: Technical
jargon or generic terminology Media is generally attracted to gloom and doom stories of climate change.
But journalists are required to become more exposed to the language and the concept of risks in covering
climate science. With climate models becoming more powerful and sophisticated, media professionals are
better equipped to quantify uncertainties and generate probabilistic climate projections, easily
comprehensive to the layperson. Media is often a target for lobby groups, to amplify or underplay
uncertainties around climate science for self-serving interests; leading to substandard reporting. In lieu of
this, journalists must enhance their competencies to handle such risk, and be familiar with numbers and
probabilities in order to formulate a more constructive narrative about climate change i.e. reframing
technical uncertainties cited in scientific terms into more comprehensive measures of risk to the society.
This would enable the people to perceive the problem, understand the risk and actively engage in public
dialogue to seek sustainable solutions (Pidgeon and Fischhoff, 2011). 12.4.3 Functions of Mass Media
towards Environment The mass media plays a significant role in modern society. Mass media has certain
important functions to perform which include influencing and moulding public opinion. In this modern
knowledge-society, media can play following roles in spreading environment related information:
Information Disseminator: Mass media play a major role in shaping people’s perceptions and their
awareness of environmental issues. People unknowingly imbibe various kinds of behaviours and attitudes
from media. Agents of Change: The media and interpersonal interactions work together to reinforce the
message and bring about persuasion to change our attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. Though, these are
very difficult to change, mass media plays a major role in helping to change political preferences and
religious attitudes. Once an attitude is formed, the media functions to channel it in a specific direction.
Media as Stimulator: The mass media activates latent attitudes, prompting people to take action. It helps
in mobilising the masses for collective action by appealing to people’s conscience to participate in various
environmental conservation and support activities, e.g. using paper bags or jute bags instead of Poly bags,
etc. Facilitator of development Media coverage is crucial for any environmental issue to enter into the
arena of public discourse and become a part of the political process. Civil Society Interest groups and
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working on environment related issues can cultivate the
formation and spread of public opinion on issues of concern with the help of media. Messenger to policy
makers: Along with centre staging the environmental issues into the hub of debates and discussions,
media also tries to triangulate the opinions of different stakeholders. It works as a bridge by amplifying
the popular opinions of people and communities across geographies and shares them with the policy
makers and vice-versa. This plays a significant role in encouraging governments to devise environment
friendly policies. Across the world, rigorously covering and following upon events like Bhopal Gas
tragedy in 1984; and snowballing the discussion on the facts shared by the Academy Award-winning
documentary on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, in 2006, media has tremendously helped in
creating a public opinion about significant environmental issues. 12.4.4 Media Platforms and
Environmental Awareness Media play an important role in influencing attitudes of the public towards the
environment. Media’s role in increasing environmental awareness of the population is an enormous one
as it reaches a vast percentage of India’s complex society. Following are some common media platforms:
Newspapers and Magazines: Newspapers have always been a profound source of information about daily
events with the morning cup of tea. They act as a source of motivation, for example, when they educate
farmers about ways of introducing organic farming, new agricultural technologies, or sensitise them about
negative consequences of the use of pesticides, stubble burning etc. As a result of such exposure and
subsequent public pressure, local authorities, governments, industries and other stakeholders are often
forced to rectify their practices, to strongly enforce laws and regulation, and to abandon development
projects if their environmental and social costs outweigh benefits (both organisational and societal).
Similarly, the environmental magazine “Down to Earth” covers a wide Environment and Media variety of
environment related topics and their scientific background. Radio: Radio is an affordable, most common
medium of information and its signals cover almost the entire nation. It is noteworthy that the Ministry of
Environment & Forests used to broadcast two weekly programmes on environment, “Kinare-Kinare” and
“Aao Dilli Savaren” on Delhi FM. At the national level, the news on environmental aspects is scant and if
they are broadcast they are most often at the regional level. Community media: With the integration of
media with community-based initiatives, community radio and video have opened doors for the remote
population to not only participate but also initiate the dialogues regarding their regional environmental
concerns. Community media also gives them the freedom to deliberate on environmental protection
activities for conservation and regeneration of natural ecosystems. Henvalvani Community Radio
(Chamba, Uttarakhand) has been extensively producing programmes on environment and climate change
in the region. Television: Studies indicate that television, by the virtue of its audio-visual elements,
enables a greater retention tendency among the viewers. As a result, government is increasingly interested
in allocating prime time slots to environmental programmes on the television. Presently, documentaries
that revolve around environment attract fewer viewers, maybe because of the academic or obscure
manner in which they are presented. Mainstream channels such as the Discovery Channel, National
Geographic and Animal Planet broadcast exclusively on endangered species and wildlife, sea life, among
other ecological aspects, etc. Programmes like “Virasat”, “Race to Save the Plant”, quiz show
“Terraquiz”, “Earth” was telecast by the Ministry of Environment & Forest in collaboration with
Doordarshan. In addition, BBC’s “Earth Report” offers interesting pieces of information on environment.
In fact, reruns of “The New Adventures of Captain Planet” on Cartoon Network cater the younger
population of children and sensitised them about deforestation, pollution, poaching and other
environmental hazards. New Media: Internet’s exponential reach and easy accessibility make it the prime
resource for the global population to seek information about climate change, environmentalism, and how
to be green and eco-friendly. Nowadays, Internet services are more frequently utilised for environmental
awareness among people to engage in public dialogue almost instantaneously. Social media sites such as
Twitter, Facebook, etc. share news, information, and articles and are thus, most resourceful for concerned
“netizens” to keep abreast of the environmental issues. Internet has also created spaces for convergence of
traditional media with new media, in order to produce an eclectic and multifaceted resource for people to
gain indigenous knowledge about environmentalism. Furthermore, with the advent of mobile applications
using different strategies to provide people with a sense of ownership of the planet, a search engine
“Ecosia”, ensures its users to spend 100% of its profits on planting trees on suggested locations.

Objectives and functions of press council

The object of the council shall be to preserve the freedom of the press and to maintain and improve the
standards of newspaper and news agencies in Nepal. The council may, in furtherance of its objects,
perform the following functions, namely;
(1) to help newspapers and news agencies to maintain their independence; (b) to build up a code
of conduct for newspapers, news agencies and journalist in accordance with high professional
standards; (c) to ensure on the part of newspapers, news agencies and journalists, the
maintenance of high standard of public taste and foster a due sense of both the right and
responsibilities of citizenships; (d) to encourage the growth of a sense of responsibility and
public service among all those engaged in the profession of journalism; (e) to keep under
review any development likely to restrict the supply and dissemination of news of public
interest and importance; (f) to keep under review cases of assistance received by any
 newspaper or news agency in India from any foreign source including such cases as are
referred to it by the Central government or are brought to its notices by an individual,
association or persons or any other organization provided that nothing in this clause shall
preclude the Central government from dealing with any case of assistance received by a
newspaper or news agency in India from any foreign source in any other manner it think fit;
(g) To undertake studies of foreign newspaper, including those brought out by any embassy
or other representative in India of a foreign State, their circulation and impact.

Role
To preserve the Freedom of the Press and to maintain and improve the standards of newspapers and news
Agencies are the main objectives of the Press Council of India. The important tasks of the council are: 1.
To build up code for Newspapers, news agencies and journalists in accordance with high Professional
standards. 2. To help newspapers and news agencies to maintain their independence. 3. To ensure
maintenance of high standards of public taste on the part of newspapers and news agencies and
journalists. 4. To encourage the growth of sense of responsibility and public service among all those
engaged in journalism.
5. To concern itself with developments such as concentration or other aspects of ownership of newspapers
and news agencies this may affect the independence of the Press. 6. To keep under review cases of
assistance received by any newspaper or news agency in India from foreign source. Functioning of the
council The council discharges its functions primarily through the medium of its Inquiry committees,
adjudicating on complaint cases received by it against the Press for a violation of the norms of journalism
or by the Press for interference with its freedom by the authorities. Functions of the council 1. To
encourage the growth of sense of responsibility and public service among all those engaged in the
profession of Journalism. 2. To keep under review any development likely to restrict the supply and
dissemination of news of public interest and importance. 3. To keep under review such cases of assistance
received by any news paper or news agency in India from Foreign sources, as are referred to it by the
Central Government. 4. Provided that nothing in this clause shall preclude the Central Government from
dealing with any case of assistance received by a news paper or news agency in India from foreign
sources in any other manner it things fit. 5. To promote the establishment of such common service for
supply and dissemination of news to news papers as may, from time to time, appear to it to be desirable.
6. To Provide facilities for the proper education and training of persons in the profession of Journalism 7.
To promote a proper functional relationship among all classes of persons engaged in the production and
publication of news papers; of the above functions. 8. To study developments which may tend towards
monopoly or concentration of ownership of news papers, including a study of the ownership or financial
structure of news papers and if necessary to suggest remedies therefore. 9. To Promote technical or other
research10. To do such other acts as may be incidental or conducive to the discharge.