The Press Council Nepal is an autonomous and independent media regulatory body set up by the

Government of Nepal The Government of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल सरकार) is the federal executive authority of Nepal. Prior to the abolition of the Nepali monarchy in 2006 (became republic in 2008), it was officially known as His Majesty's Government. T ...

that overlooks the development of the

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

in Nepal and that advises the Government on policy developments to ensure this development. It serves under the Ministry of Information and Communications. Balkrishna Basnet is the current chief of the organization.

History

The

first created the ''Press Commission'', a predecessor of the Press Council Nepal in 1957. This was developed into the ''Press Advisory Council'' in 1969. The supervision was handed from the Government to the

Supreme Court of Nepal The Supreme Court of Nepal ( ne, सर्वोच्च अदालत) is the highest court in Nepal. It has appellate jurisdiction over decisions of the seven High Courts (including eleven Benches of the High Courts) and extraordinary origin ...

in 1972 and the organisation was renamed to ''Press Council of Nepal''. The Press Council Nepal (PCN) had issued a letter to

Nagarik ''Nagarik'' ( bn, নাগরিক), also spelled as ''Nagorik'', ''The Citizen'' in English, was the first feature-length film directed by legendary Indian director Ritwik Ghatak. Completed in 1952, it preceded Satyajit Ray's '' Pather Panch ...

(a national daily newspaper) on 20 October 2022 requesting an explanation behind the publication of a satirical cartoon of ex-Prime Minister and Communist Party of Nepal (UML) chairman

KP Sharma Oli Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli ( ne, खड्गप्रसाद शर्मा ओली, ; born 22 February 1952) is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister of Nepal. He served three terms as prime minister from 11 October 2015 to 3 Augu ...

, which the council claimed violated journalistic and electoral codes of conduct.The decision has been criticised by press freedom agencies and the

Federation of Nepalese Journalists The Federation of Nepalese Journalists ( ne, नेपाल पत्रकार महासंघ) is a nationwide organisation of journalists in Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democrati ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Regulation in Nepal Mass media complaints authorities Consumer organisations in Nepal