15 May 2019
Press Council Nepal has asked for clarification from Avenues Television regarding the use of language and word choice by interviewer Sushil Pandey while interviewing Upendra Yadav who is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population of Nepal and President of Nepal Samajwadi Party.
Dipak Khanal from Press council said that Avenues Television to provide clarification within three days. The Council has said that while interviewing Minister Yadav on Sunday, 12 May, the interviewer failed to comply with journalism code of conduct and did not behave appropriately.
The live show “Rajnik Sakash” was cut short after Minister Yadav and interviewer Pandey got involved in verbal spat. Yadav lost his cool after Pandey asked him in a rude manner. While Minister Yadav was asking Pandey to learn courtesy, Pandey was retaliating by asking not to teach media on how to ask questions. The interviewer asked Minister Yadav to leave the show mid-air, Yadav took off his mic and left the show immediately. Pandey emphasised that it was his right to ask questions in such manner. After Yadav left the show mid-air, Pandey continued saying Minister Yadav left the show because he could not face the questions.
The episode went viral in social media where the interviewer Pandey was heavily criticized on his mannerism. As a repercussion, Avenues Television’s Birgunj Bureau was attacked the next day on 13 May.
Federation of Nepali Journalists have asked the authority to hold the responsible party accountable for the attack and personal death threat to the interviewer. Additionally, Federation has asked media persons to comply with code of conduct as well.
