KATHMANDU: The Chairman of Nepal’s media regulatory body on Sunday called on journalists to adopt a solution-oriented approach to reporting, warning that negativity and problem-focused coverage are fueling public disillusionment.
Press Council Nepal Chairman Balkrishna Basnet said media must move beyond highlighting problems to actively discussing solutions and showcasing constructive efforts across the country.
“We have become problem-oriented, not solution-oriented,” Basnet wrote in a New Year’s message on social media. “We have not even discussed what has been done and what progress has been made.”
Basnet urged the media, including social media platforms, to help build public trust by promoting critical thinking without spreading despair. “The tendency to assume that nothing will ever happen in Nepal must be abandoned,” he said. “Let us identify what went wrong, what is working, and what can be improved.”
He also called for introspection within the media industry, saying journalists must resist the urge to only criticize others and instead focus on using media as a tool to strengthen democratic institutions.
“Nepal has sound systems and structures, but we have failed to utilize and institutionalize them,” Basnet said, adding that the country’s youth and diaspora could play a vital role in national development if a hopeful and constructive narrative is cultivated.
