Kathmandu, August 7
The Federation of Nepali Journalists says its central member Suraj Acharya was not involved in any illegal or unprofessional act in an alleged bargaining about broadcasting a news story on Image Channel.
However, the umbrella organisation of Nepali journalists said he had some “professional weaknesses” in the incident and hence instructed him to accept his error publicly and make a commitment not to repeat the mistake.
The FNJ had formed a probe panel under the leadership of its General Secretary Ujir Magar after vernacular DCnepal.com on July 12 published a report claiming Acharya demanded a bribe from a private automobile workshop to stop a new story against him from going on air.
The team talked with the workshop owner, accused journalist, his media house and other stakeholders during the investigation and concluded that Acharya did not receive any money from the workshop owner, neither did the media house have any plan to do a story about the owner, the FNJ says.
A Secretariat meeting of the FNJ held yesterday endorsed the probe panel’s meeting, says its Secretary Prabhat Chalaune.
Earlier, Acharya had also denied the accusation and said he would not get involved in his job and the works at FNJ until the probe in concluded.
