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Some prominent communications professionals and academicians announced today the establishment of Media Foundation, an independent and non-partisan organization devoted to education and policy research crosscutting journalism and communications disciplines.

The Foundation will work towards bridging the gaps in the institutional, professional, academic and public understanding of media and their functions in a changing world. It plans to launch regular, systematic media analysis and indexing, print and digital archiving of primary data, cutting-edge short-term courses and seminars for working and aspiring media professionals, trade journal, policy papers, an annual media event, and long-term fundraising, among others.

Founding members are Bharat Dutta Koirala (chair), Jan Sharma (vice-chair), Dharma Nanda Adhikari (secretary), Punita Rimal (treasurer), and Gopal Chitrakar, Jagadish Pokhrel and Dr Arun Gupto as executive members.

“Our goal is not to duplicate works already done in the sector, but to complement them, collaborate with others, and to explore and introduce new dimensions in media research and education in areas of public needs,” said Koirala.

The Foundation will analyze media impact on public policy and its formulation, nurture leadership, promote innovations and honor excellence in the media that serve the public interest.

“As the media landscapes expand the conventional focus on legal and structural issues must now also shift to a scientific study of media processes and products,” said Dr. Adhikari. “A project is already underway to devise a national media index for Nepal. Other areas of immediate focus are regular media analyses and monitoring and a quarterly trade journal on journalism and communication arts.”

The explosion of media and especially the immediacy and impact of broadcast and online media in the country and the region require constant analysis and monitoring for their services to become verifiably useful, according to Dr. Adhikari.

The non-partisan, independent organization will take an integrative approach to the study of media practices and performance across the disciplines, including journalism, strategic communication, and new media. It will link organizational programs and projects with public policy alternatives.

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