Dialogue on Protocol for Journalists' Safety in Kathmandu and Hetauda

After Biratnagar and Hetauda, freedom1 Forum organized the Dialogue among Media Owners and Professional Associations on Developing Protocol for Journalists' Safety in the capital city on August 18. The aim of the dialogue was to share the suggestions, recommendations and commitments from the media owners and professional associations from Biratnagar and Hetauda, and seek additional responses and recommendation from the similar persons (media owners and associations). In the dialogue, freedom1 Forum Chairperson, Taranath Dahal, and Vice-Chairperson of Federation of Nepali Journalists, Anita Bindu, made presentations on the findings (suggestions, recommendations and commitment) from the Biratnagar and Hetauda dialogues. Some of the key points Mr Dahal made on the presentations were: To be done by media owners/media houses

1. Monitor safety issues and have a safety policy that is written, available to staff and the wider public and fully operated.
2. Provide appointment letter and identity card to journalists before providing employment
3. Prepare and implement employees service regulation
4. Report to the Office the Press Registrar on its human resources (journalists, workers, labourers) regularly
5. Extend safety policy to columnists and stringers, their assistants, local employees and support personnel, and family of the journalists
6. Provide ToR to journalists, including columnists and stringers, with respect to safety and personal risk.
7. Ensure that workplace are safe and secure to protect journalists from intruders,
8. Provide hostile environment and risk awareness training before journalists are sent on dangerous assignments.
9. Provide adequate back-up to journalists on dangerous assignments.
10. Ensure that stress counselling is available.
11. Set up provident fund, welfare fund and emergency fund
12. Ensure women and disabled-friendly workplace;
13. Establish hygienic place for foods (canteen)
14. Establish safe home for the journalists facing risk and manage alternative media for work
15. Set up child care centre

  To be done by professional organizations

1. Monitor safety issues and advocate to employers and the authorities to have effective policies about these.
2. Highlight the importance of media professionalism.
3. Provide information resources and promote good practices.
4. Provide practical advice and access to specialist resources to reporters working on dangerous assignments.
5. Make support available to citizen journalists.
6. Establish programs for women journalists that take account of specific risks they will face on dangerous assignments.

Similarly, FNJ Vice-Chair Bindu stressed the points on how the women journalists could be provide safe atmosphere in the reporting and in media house. A special safety arrangement was needed for the women journalists in view of her biological sensitivity. According to her, the media owners must be provided the following by the media houses:

1. Appointment letter
2. Timely payment
3. Maternity leave
4. Insurance
5. Minimum remuneration
6. Identity card, Press accreditation card, FNJ memberships card
7. Child care centre

The program attended by more than 30 persons was univocal on the need of the safety protocol. To mention some key points, Chairperson of the Women Rehabilitation Centre, Dr Renu Rajbhandari, said the entire patriarchal perspective to women needs change to ensure safe atmosphere for the women journalists. General Manager of the National News Agency (RSS), Nirmala Acharya, said as her was the government media, it had comparatively favourable atmosphere for women journalists. However, she regretted that there no adequate participation of women in the policy level (Board) of the RSS. According to her, she was planning to provide further incentives to the temporary journalists as equal to the permanent one. IMS consultant Binod Bhattarai said the protocol could focus more on individual level rather than the broader one Similarly, INSEC representative said the media house needs social media policy so that they could somehow protect their journalists and employees. Pankaj Das, Chairman of the Madhesi Journalists' Association, said his Association has urged the political parties in Madhes not to use cadres in press freedom1 violations. Chief Editor of the Himalaya Times, Govind Luitel, said the program was very fruitful to learn on making the media house safe for journalist. He made commitment that he would take some initiative to this end in his media house. In the dialogue organized under the "Increasing Safety of the Journalists" UNESCO project, the project Coordinator, Laxman Datt Pant, reiterated that the UN Plan on Action on Journalists' Safety was implemented in Nepal, in view of the rising impunity related to freedom1 of expression. According to him, Nepal was in need of safety related trainings for the journalists. Earlier, on August 3, the dialogue was organized in Hetauda, a city in the southern plains of the central region of Nepal. Presentations similar to that of the Biratnagar dialogue were made in Hetauda too. Some key points raised in the Hetauda dialogue were: Dwarika Kafle We face problem because none of us are abiding by the rule. I've been working as a stringer for 14 year and run a small media here? Now what's my identity? How does the Working Journalists' Act define my position? The remuneration should be fixed as per the region (capital city, mofussil) Shailendra Jha Not getting appointment letter is the biggest problem. Guru Gautam The media houses need to formulate plans and run activities accordingly. Being unaware of the journalists' code of conduct is another problem for growing safety threat to journalists. Madhav Neupane Journalists are free to quit if they are dissatisfied with media owner's style of working. Media houses should have the authority to keep only talent journalists. We want work no pay system. Bijay Kushbaha The women journalists have not been provided appointment letters. Media owners become angry when they are demanded to provide appointment letter. Laxmi Kharel Women journalists are not allowed to editing. The district level journalists are the favouraites of FNJ. Miman Pulami When FNJ is informed about the journalists' problems, the FNJ regard it as the some party's member. Bed Prasad Acharya We provide training to journalist every two month. The new ones entering media say the join media as hobby, and how can provide appointment letter to such persons? We've ensured insurance to media persons, and plans are on to create provident fund. The uncertainty is there are that who is working journalists and which one the media owners. Rajesh Shrestha Not only of journalists, but also their vehicle should be insured. No media house has any rule/regulation on journalists' safety. Bipin Gautam Unhealthy completion is cause of growing threat to journalists. Rather than single, reporters can go to field in group.