Press Council Nepal blacklists The Himalayan Times for publishing baseless news against Nirmal Purja

KATHMANDU: The Press Council Nepal has blacklisted the Indian-funded English newspaper The Himalayan Times and informed all the government agencies.

The Press Council blacklisted the newspaper for continuously publishing baseless news against mountaineer Nirmal Purja (Nimsdai) and his company Himalayan Adventures Pvt. Ltd with an intention to defame him by violating the code of conduct despite repeated warnings.

Earlier in October, a task force formed by the Council had conducted further research and concluded that The Himalayan Times had published the news to tarnish the image of Nirmal Purja and his company.

The Council had concluded that the newspaper had repeatedly published baseless news with the intention to assassinate Purja’s character.

The Council has decided to blacklist both The Himalayan Times newspaper and the online portal for not abiding by the directive, reads a letter sent by Monitoring Officer Mahendra Raj Singh.

With the blacklisting of the newspaper, it has been excluded from the evaluation and classification process and has also been deprived of other facilities, including public welfare advertisements.

Preparations are underway to recommend to the concerned authorities to keep the newspaper away from the advertisements and facilities provided by the government or any other public body.

The Council has asked further for clarification from the newspaper on this matter.