KATHMANDU, Sept 4: Minister for Information and Communications Dr Bikram Timilsina has urged media outlets and journalists to exercise sensitivity when reporting on the Bhotekoshi flood, stressing the need to protect victims’ dignity, privacy, safety and mental well-being.
Timilsina said postpartum women, children, people who have lost family members and others in vulnerable situations are staying at holding centers in Nuwakot and Rasuwa. He urged journalists to exercise particular caution when gathering and publishing their personal information, photographs and videos.
He said informing the public about the reality of a disaster is an important responsibility of the media, but it should not come at the expense of victims’ privacy, safety and dignity.
Timilsina also urged journalists not to enter holding centers without coordinating with the concerned authorities and not to publish photographs, videos or personal details that could reveal the identities of children and other vulnerable people without consent. He called on media personnel to report without obstructing rescue and relief operations.
“Journalism must place the dignity and rights of victims above the news itself,” Timilsina said, stressing that the pursuit of facts and truth should not cause further harm to disaster victims.
Minister Timilsina visits hospital to check health of Bhotekosh...
Various media outlets and social media platforms have been publishing information, photographs and videos from areas affected by the Bhotekoshi flood and other disasters in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and surrounding areas.
The ministry has urged the media and public to rely on verified information from official sources, warning that false or unverified reports can spread fear and hamper rescue and relief efforts. It has asked media outlets to prioritize information from the Ministry of Home Affairs, district administration offices, security agencies and local disaster management committees when reporting on disaster damage and rescue and relief operations.
The ministry has also cautioned against publishing fabricated, misleading or unverified AI-generated content. It has urged media outlets and social media users not to post or repost distressing photographs, videos or personal details of people killed or affected by the disaster.
It said families who have lost loved ones could suffer additional psychological distress after encountering graphic images or videos of their relatives through news outlets or social media. It therefore urged users to prioritize accurate, factual and responsible information over graphic or fear-inducing content.
Meanwhile, Press Council Nepal has expressed serious concern over the publication of photographs and videos that could undermine the dignity, self-respect and privacy of children affected by the Bhotekoshi flood.
The council said portraying children’s helplessness in the name of rescue or relief, revealing their identities or publishing content that could harm their psychological well-being goes against the spirit of the Child-Friendly Communication Directive, 2073 B S.
The directive requires media outlets to consider the immediate and long-term psychological effects of disaster coverage on children, avoid portraying their helplessness in ways that undermine their self-respect, and refrain from disclosing identities where doing so could cause harm.
Press Council Nepal said it has intensified monitoring after finding content violating the code of conduct on various media and social media platforms. It said it has directed concerned media outlets to remove violating content and has issued warnings and taken action where necessary.
The council urged journalists and social media users to refrain from disseminating photographs and videos that could harm children’s psychological well-being or violate their dignity and privacy.
The government and Press Council have stressed that media outlets covering the Bhotekoshi disaster have a dual responsibility: providing accurate information about the situation and rescue and relief efforts while protecting the rights and dignity of victims. They warned that sensationalizing suffering, publishing disturbing images or revealing personal identities can cause further harm to those affected.
