Nepal Live Today turns three today. Two years ago when we started this publication, we had clear goals and objectives. We were focused on pursuing truth in journalism, we were committed to upholding democratic values and principles and we had an unwavering determination to hold the government accountable to people.
We stand by these ideals without any doubt and we will continue to stand by those ideals in the days to come, without any doubt.
That said, we did not have smooth sailing. Right after we started, the second wave of Covid-19 hit the country, affecting businesses, livelihood and national economy. Like other sectors, the media sector that was beginning to thrive, suffered a serious setback and it had its effects in our newsrooms too. The pandemic confined us into our homes, restricted our mobility and constrained our abilities to go to the field to report the stories of the people. But we persevered with whatever limited human and material resources we had and continued to pursue our goals.
While the pandemic hit us hard, there also was a threat of misinformation and disinformation about the pandemic. The spate of misinformation and disinformation later posed a threat to our relations with neighbors and friendly countries including the development projects funded by those countries. Our goal was to prohibit misinformation and disinformation from seeping into the sacred cause of journalism. We worked to fulfill that goal with our level best.
We are proud that in two years of our journey, we have heavily guarded ourselves from falling into the trap of fake news, misinformation and disinformation. If we ever failed on our judgment on domestic political, social and economic issues and in volatile geopolitical conditions, that, we would like to admit, was due to human error not out of intention.
We have not deviated from our major duty of asking questions and telling the truth to power. During the pandemic we unwaveringly worked to inform the public and to make the government authorities address the vital public health concerns. Our stories of Covid warriors and the dedicated efforts made by the Nepali diplomats in foreign capitals and the foreign diplomats based in Kathmandu in helping Nepal to cope up with the Covid crisis were widely appreciated.
Today, Nepali people appear to be totally frustrated with the political leaders due to their inability to ensure service delivery and address the day-to-day needs of the people. While the political class seems blithely indifferent to the real issues facing the people, people are developing resentment with the political class and the existing political system.
In this situation, we are aware that the media will have an even more important role to play to forever nudge the politicians to become accountable to people and to bring out the voice of the people truthfully and with utmost sincerity. As we enter the third year of Nepal Live Today, we would like to assure our readers, partners and well wishers that as we mature we will work with renewed commitment and dedication to provide credible, factual and evidence-based reports, analyses and commentaries to our readers. We reiterate that we will strive for excellence and innovation, further explore the vast digital media landscape and bring innovation in delivering news, views, and analyses.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend sincere thanks to my colleagues in Nepal Live Today and the entire team of Nepal Live Group who have spared no efforts to uphold professionalism and maintain high ethical standards despite various challenges. I believe editorial independence is a key to fair and accountable journalism and it gives me immense pleasure to state that Nepal Live Today exercises that freedom. I also owe my sincere thanks to valued readers, advertisers, advertising agencies and well-wishers. We will continue to rise and establish a niche in the field of English-language journalism in the country.
Anil Nyaupane
Chairperson
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