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South Asia Peace Initiative
Nepal Leaders Hold Media Workshop
Written by Dr. Robert S. Kittel, Director of Education, UPF-Asia; Photo-journalist, Segye-Ilbo
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Kathmandu, Nepal – The media is so powerful it has been called another branch of government, comparing its influence in society to the judicial, legislative, and executive powers in a democratic society.
With this in mind, the Universal Peace Federation-Nepal partnered with The Universal Times, a weekly Nepali-language tabloid, to hold a half-day training for key leaders and secretariat staff from affiliated peace organizations.
The President of the Universal Peace Federation-Nepal, Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, who is also a member of parliament, welcomed the audience of 30 people to the Peace Embassy building in Kathmandu saying, “In this era we cannot overlook the importance of the media.” He continued by saying that in a true democracy the media must be both independent and unprejudiced.
Dr. Chuda Bahadur Shresta, the editor of The Universal Times, welcomed the participants. He was happy to see the development in the paper and its growing influence in the Nepali society. It is now officially recognized by the Government of Nepal and receives ads from various government departments.
The trainer for the workshop was Mr. Ramji Dahal, the former Secretary of the Journalist Federation of Nepal. Three subjects were taught: 1) tricks to writing a good press release, 2) writing catchy news stories, and 3) the importance of building friendly relationships with media houses.
Mr. Dahal also highlighted the change in the content of what newspapers print and TV stations cover. Although in the past, developmental news was not given much priority, today these stories sell. People want to know how their society and nation are changing, especially for the better.
Mr. Santosh Paudel, Secretary General of UPF-Nepal, said he learned the knack of writing a press release through the acronym KISS which stands for "Keep It Short and Sweet." Veteran journalists know this is absolutely true.
Another important concept learned at the media workshop was building personal relationships with media organizations. “We must inform them ahead of time about events and meet them regularly,” Mr. Paudel explained.
With this valuable training, UPF-Nepal and its affiliated organizations will be more effective in amplifying the impact of their numerous social activities.
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