KATHMANDU, Jan 30: The National Information Commission (NIC) has urged one and all to disseminate truthful and factual news related to the upcoming election to the Member of the House of Representatives.
The NIC has urged everyone to be responsible in the flow of information to ensure that the House of Representatives election on March 5 is free, fair and fear-free.
NIC Commissioner and Spokesperson Gagan Bista said that misleading, false and biased information circulated during the election can seriously affect the democratic process and that the flow of information should be based on truth and reality.
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Spokesperson Bista stated that stakeholders must make public electoral information on time and in a way that everyone can understand. He urged the government to keep the relevant authorities active in monitoring and regulating false and misleading information.
The Election Commission has stated that it is necessary to make voter education more effective, convey information through multilingual mediums, and publish election-related acts, laws, directives and codes of conduct in a timely manner.
Bista instructed political parties and candidates to provide only factual information about their candidates and not to use abusive language, defamation, false or misleading information. He directed that an information officer be appointed to disseminate election-related information of the respective party.
He said that the media should adhere to the principles of impartiality, balance and equal access when reporting election-related news. The Commission has warned the media not to publish or broadcast any party or candidate's promotional materials as news.
NIC has also urged everyone to ensure that the source is official and reliable before promoting information on social media or other platforms, and to report to the relevant authority if misleading information is seen.
