Over 70 journalists from the Bhutan Information and Media Authority, Creative Industry & Intellectual Property, other media organizations are in Paro for the two-day Annual Journalism Conference. The purpose of the conference is to discuss important issues affecting Bhutan’s media environment. First day of the conference, which had its theme “Reconnecting the Journalism Fraternity,” concentrated on important topics. Bhutan’s World Press Freedom Index fell 57 spots from 90th in 2024 to 147th this year. Accessing information is becoming more and more difficult for journalists. Due to budgetary limitations, the number of newspapers in the nation has decreased recently, and now there are just seven operational publications. It has become more difficult for media outlets to prosper due to the growing dominance of digital media and the shrinking market for conventional print.
Additionally, journalists are having a harder time getting information, which makes it harder for the media to cover important topics. For the media industry, financial sustainability is still a major concern. Due to budgetary limitations, the number of newspapers in the nation has decreased recently, and now there are just seven operational publications. It has become more difficult for media outlets to prosper due to the growing dominance of digital media and the shrinking market for conventional print. According to Rinzin Wangchuk, the two directors from DoMCIIP and BICMA’s attendance shows that they see the media as a vital component of a more robust democracy. Additionally, DoMCIIP spoke on the SOP for information access throughout the conference.
