KATHMANDU, Aug 31: A four-point agreement has been reached among the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), the Press Council Nepal, and the Nepal Advertising Board regarding the registration and renewal of online media outlets.
The agreement was made following discussions between the Communication Secretary, FNJ President and other officials in the presence of the concerned stakeholders after the FNJ submitted a memorandum to the ministry.
Writ petition filed against renewal of online media
According to the Online Media Operation Guidelines, 2016, online media registered under Clause 6 are required to renew their registration within six months of the end of each fiscal year, that is, by mid-January. In this regard, it was agreed that until further arrangements are made, the Press Council Nepal and the Nepal Advertising Board will continue their listing of online media based on ministry correspondence. The Department of Information and Broadcasting will also continue issuing press representative certificates during this period under the existing provisions.
Similarly, the ministry has pledged to take necessary steps within 15 days to approve the Press and Publication (Second Amendment) Regulation, 2025, which has been prepared to regulate online media as per the recent amendment to the Press and Publication Act, 1991.
The agreement also states that if new applications are received for online media registration, the Department of Information and Broadcasting will collect them and assign serial numbers accordingly.
