The International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC)’s support for community radios(CR) in Nepal has been a strategic, defining factor in the growth of the CR sector. After receiving support from IPDC in 2007, the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (ACORAB) worked on enhancing the capacity of CRs and preparing a Code of Conduct (CoC) of CRs. The CoC was revised in 2010 considering changes in the country’s socio-political context and three-fold increase in number of CRs. To date, the number
of CRs has increased to almost 200 in Nepal.ACORAB now seeks further support from IPDC to establish an independent system of self-regulation for promoting freedom of expression, the right to information, and ethical standards within CRs. These have also been recognized in the UNESCO Media Development Indicators and the Article 19 of the United Nations’Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Nepal’s Government signed the ICCPR in 1990, and is therefore committed to protecting and promoting the rights of its people to seek and receive information. Over the last 14 years, Nepali CRs have promoted that right by allowing for pluralism and freedom of expression. In many rural areas of the country, these CRs represent the only form of media available, providing services to the marginalized and disadvantaged people who have often been ignored by mainstream media. With the continued increase of the CRs, effective implementation of CoC has become vital to build on self-regulatory mechanisms in enhancing CR professionals’ unbiased coverage, honesty, accuracy and reliability. This project intends to establish a mechanism to hold CRs accountable to play a greater role as a watchdog. Self-regulation is a function that lies at the very the centre of this, fostering the media’s responsibility towards the public and enhancing the quality of CRs. The Annual General Meeting of ACORAB has already formed an inclusive five-member Disciplinary Sub-Committee, headed by the Vice-President of ACORAB, to effectively monitor compliance of the CoC by the CRs, build public trust and credibility over the CRs, serve as a driver to improve quality standards, and reduce public complaints against CRs. Self-imposed rules are likely to carry a greater moral authority and, consequently work with greater effectiveness than externally imposed legal ones.
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Publisher:
UNESCO
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(2012
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Type / Script:
Bulletin or Poster
in English
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Keywords:
RADIO, RADIO COMMUNICATION, RADIO BROADCASTING, MASS MEDIA, COMMUNICATION MEDIA, JOURNALISTS, JOURNALISM, STANDARDS, CAPACITY BUILDING, DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
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Thematic Group: UNESCO
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Educational, Scientific and Cultural
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Thesaurus:
15.04.00
- Communication And Mass Media
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Reference Link:
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