Kathmandu: A two day “Cooperative Journalism Training and Capacity Enhancement Program,” organized by the Federation of Nepali Journalists Bagmati Province Committee with financial support from the Ministry of Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, has concluded in Nagarkot.

The training, held on Baisakh 26 and 27 brought together 40 journalists from all 13 districts of Bagmati Province.

Participants received training on cooperative journalism, investigative reporting, the role of media during cooperative crises, ethics in cooperative journalism, cooperative laws as well as current challenges and opportunities in the sector.

Journalist Yadav Humagain facilitated sessions on the concept of cooperative journalism, investigative reporting practices, challenges in the cooperative sector and the responsibilities of the media.

Similarly, Chief Executive Officer of National Cooperative Bank, Badrikumar Guragain, conducted sessions on cooperative financial indicators, report-based news writing, analysis of cooperative financial statements, identification of risk signals, methods of assessing financial health, financial evaluation standards and indicators of financial crises in cooperatives.

Journalist Hikmat Acharya provided training on fact-checking, including its concepts, methodologies, the distinction between misinformation and disinformation and different forms of misleading information.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Bagmati Province Minister for Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Binu Rayamajhi Poudel said that fact-based, responsible, and investigative journalism plays a vital role in strengthening public trust in the cooperative sector.

She stressed the need for journalists to maintain impartiality in exposing malpractice and informing the public through accurate reporting. Minister Rayamajhi also stated that a Cooperative Registrar’s Office had recently been established in Lalitpur to improve service delivery in the cooperative sector.

She noted that cooperatives no longer need to travel to the provincial capital to access services, as arrangements have now been made to provide services from both Makwanpur and Lalitpur. She further informed that the provincial government has drafted a poverty alleviation policy, which is expected to be approved soon.

According to her, the policy targets 1,000 low income households from Dalit, marginalized, and backward communities across eight districts of Bagmati Province, excluding  Rasuwa,  Sindhupalchok, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. Under the policy, housing facilities will be constructed for the targeted families, while seed capital and skill development training for income generation will also be provided to help make them self reliant, she added.

President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists Bagmati Province Committee, Krishna Saru Magar, said the organization has been continuously working to enhance journalists’ professional capacity.

He stated that the cooperative journalism training was organized to provide specialized knowledge to journalists. According to Magar, Nepali journalism is currently passing through a transitional phase, with the influence of traditional journalism declining while digital journalism is rapidly expanding.

He emphasized the need for journalists to adapt to changing technology and communication platforms by prioritizing new skills, fact-based reporting, and investigative journalism.

He also stressed the importance of responsible, accurate and impartial reporting on sensitive sectors such as cooperatives.

Program coordinator and secretary Kaji Shrestha said the training helped journalists better understand the structure, financial condition, and risk indicators of cooperatives, and is expected to contribute to more credible reporting on cooperative related issues.

He added that the training enhanced journalists’ ability to interpret cooperative financial statements and present cooperative-related news in a factual and responsible manner.