KATHMANDU, August 12: Media freedom was what Nepali journalists and civil society activists fought for decades in Nepal until democracy was restored in the country in 1990. The Nepali media fraternity celebrated the abolition of the Panchayat system, which put harsh restrictions on civil liberties including press freedom for 30 long years. The reason: the new constitution promulgated after the success of the people's movement in 1990 guaranteed press freedom, paving the way for the establishment of a number of professional media houses at the initiative of the private sector.

Two years into the pandemic, but we still have not learned our lessons. Pandemic taught us to be careful, aware and well informed about the microorganisms that live with us in the same environment. However, despite several science backed theories and research efforts to bring forward the mystery and unsolved questions around COVID, many of us prefer to believe the myths that have been spread all around about the infection, the vaccine and the treatment process.

Preventing well-intentioned actors from unwittingly sharing false information could be addressed through news literacy campaigns or fact-checking initiatives