Freedom of press and freedom of expression are foundation of democracy: President Paudel

President Ram Chandra Pauel said that freedom of press and freedom of expression are the foundation of democracy.

Issuing a message today on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, he recalled the contributions of the Nepali press sector in the country's major movements for democracy.

Saying that Press freedom is equally important for implementing citizens' constitutional right to get information, President Paudel said adding that the free press helps ensure transparency in the governance system and hold it accountable.

"This is a vital aspect of the entire society's democratization process," the President's message reads.

President Paudel said that the more the press is neutral, free and robust the more the democratic system will be strengthened, and it was all our responsibility to create an environment conducive to this. Due to this very role of the Nepali press, our constitution has ensured complete press freedom and freedom of expression, President Paudel viewed.

The President has described that free engagement in all steps from information collection to its dissemination is press freedom in a true sense adding that pluralism-based journalism ensures citizens' access to every sort of news. 

In his message, the President has suggested that the media fraternity should work hard to establish the truth by disseminating facts through independent journalism and has cautioned that rumors could misguide the citizens and could create challenges in making the right perception.

Likewise, the President has pointed out that fake news that could be disseminated through social networking sites could misguide the citizens and weaken the system, and has wished that World Press Freedom Day would inspire Nepal's media fraternity to disseminate true, factual and credible news.