Disaster Resilient Communities in Nepal by 2050

Disaster Risk Management: Online Media Orientation


National Society for Earthquake Technology Nepal (NSET) recently oriented 26 online journalists on the role of “Online Media in Disaster Risk Management”. Through the Public Private Partnership Program (3PERM), the half-day workshop was conducted to enhance the awareness of online media officials and improve the capacity for collaboration between online media and DRR stakeholders.

Three journalists addressed the group during the workshop, sharing their knowledge of online media and its role in disaster risk management. Shekhra Adhikari (ekantipur.com) shared his experience reporting on the Sindhupalchowk landslide and maintained the importance of online messages being short and concise. Rajneesh Bhandari, a multimedia expert, presented his views regarding the role of online media and spoke of the importance to verify information being reported. Guna Raj Luitel (setopati.com) also addressed the group, sharing his international experience reporting on disasters. Luitel spoke of the importance for online journalists to be given proper guidelines and policies for preparedness in the case of a disaster scenario in Nepal.

Among the participants, Kishor Poudel (nepalnews.com) spoke about the importance of empowering online journalists with further orientation and training events. He reinforced the notion that preparedness is the most useful way to reduce risk in the event of a disaster. Shiva Shrestha (paryatanabhiyan.com), Nakul Aryal (samajkhabar.com) and Ramesh Chnadra Adhikari (dristinews.com) all shared their experience from reporting during a disaster, emphasizing the importance of online reporting in such a scenario. Arjun Sharma (ratopati.com) expressed his thanks in learning new techniques to collect news during a disaster scenario, while Ashok Poudel (nagariknews.com) further expressed the group’s ideas about newsgathering during a disaster. Poudel suggested that while mobile phone technology is the primary tool for reporting news, the technology may not function during a disaster due to network and operational limitations.

Dr. Amod Mani Dixit, NSET Executive Director, maintained the importance of journalists staying safe while conducting their roles in a disaster. He expressed that journalists should attain proper knowledge of disaster preparedness in order to fulfill their vital role of disseminating information during a disaster.

The half-day workshop proved successful, with all participants contributing and emphasizing the need for a disaster prepared media in Nepal. As a result, the relationship between NSET Nepal and online media representatives has been further strengthened.

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