British Ambassador Andy Sparkes and Giles Thomson, a visiting senior diplomat with the British foreign ministry (FCO), on 5 August launched a media competition in partnership with the Kathmandu-based Centre for Investigative Journalism and the Thomson Foundation.
Investigative stories on human rights, impunity, corruption and elections published between August and December in a Nepali journal, radio or television will be eligible. The four winners will be awarded a summer course in the Thomson Foundation in London next year.
“A free, vibrant and professional media is essential to democracy and to the conduct of free and fair elections," Sparkes said at the inaugural ceremony on Monday. "The elections scheduled for 19 November are absolutely necessary for Nepal to move forward."
As part of the program, veteran British media trainers will also conduct workshops with the Centre for Investigative Journalism in Ilam, Kathmandu and Kanchanpur.
Giles Thomson, Director South Asia, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK said: “It is crucial that elections happen on 19 November. UK committed to supporting free and fair polls. A free media is essential for free elections. And a fair media is essential for fair elections."
The Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal and Thomson Foundation will organise 5-day training sessions for 60 reporters and two trainers from the UK will share their expertise on investigative journalism and electoral reporting.
Speaking at the program, the chairman of the Centre for Investigative Journalism Kunda Dixit said he hoped the competition would build capacity within newspapers for investigative journalism and also help ensure free and fair elections.
"It will be an incentive for Nepali print media, online, radio and tv to deploy reporters for investigative reportage in the run-up to elections," Dixit said.
The Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal invites submission of published/broadcast investigative and in-depth election-related reports from Nepali print, broadcast (radio) and online journalists for the competition.
The contents of submitted reports should be based on the following themes: corruption, human rights violations, impunity and issues related to upcoming Constituent Assembly elections. Journalists will be responsible for the preparation and publication/broadcast of their own material.
Reports published or broadcast between 1 August 2013 and 31 December 2013 will be considered for the competition and will be evaluated by an independent panel of media professionals on the basis of standard criteria set by Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal. The top four winning journalists whose stories/reports are selected will be rewarded with an opportunity to attend short summer course on Investigative Journalism in the UK.
Last year’s winners- three reporters from Himal, Kantipur and Nagarik went to London last month to attend a summer course and visit British newsrooms. Two reporters from Nagarik and Nepal won the first year’s competition.