RSS and Xinhua to sign agreement for news exchange

Kathmandu, Sept 1: The Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) and China’s Xinhua News Agency are to sign an agreement for the exchange of news.

The Council of Ministers of Nepal has approved the agreement letter on the exchange the cooperation between these two state-owned news agencies. Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, informed us here on Monday while unveiling the decisions of the cabinet meeting convened on August 29.

Minister Gurung, also the Spokesperson of the government, shared that an agreement between the RSS and Xinhua News Agency will be inked during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s ongoing visit to China. Likewise, RSS’s Deputy General Manager, Somnath Lamichhane, stated that while a previous news exchange agreement had been in place between the RSS and Xinhua News Agency, the current deal has been updated and expanded to reflect the latest advancements in the media and communications sector.

The current agreement is going to be signed, taking into account recent advancements in information technology and the emergence of new genres in the communication sector. The agreement stipulates that Xinhua will continue to provide RSS with news and photographs in English, as it has in the past, along with the video and multimedia content in English, all free of charge.

The agreement also includes a provision for the exchange of experience among the reporters, editors and technical experts between the RSS and the Xinhua News Agency. Furthermore, the two state-owned agencies have agreed to collaborate for conducting training programmes and exchange expertise in integrating news technologies in their news agencies’ operations.