Towards developing critical thinking and challenge experts and practitioners to deliberate on serious issues of development, Bhutan Dialogues, will be held every month.

The session, an initiative of the United Nations Office in Bhutan and Loden Foundation, started yesterday. The inaugural session focused on the state of media in Bhutan. Dasho Kinley Dorji, the former Information and Communications Secretary said media today is confronted with numerous problems and struggling to survive.

“They are struggling with funding and they are struggling with other pressures you know trying to keep up with politics, keep up with electoral processes and all that. So many of our journalists either don’t have access to training, they kind of playing it by year. So right now maybe not the best but they are trying,” said Dasho Kinley.

He added while media is important in a society, its growth must be parallel to the needs of its consumers.

“First of all we should not have that many newspapers and radio stations because our small market can’t support that. That’s why they have problems. Its better the advertisers, largely the government focus on a few media and let them grow,” added the former MoIC Secretary. “And as always training, education is the only answer in the long run for professionalism.”

At a session, many practicing journalists and participants also shared concerns over growing influence of social media and people’s consumption trend of information.

Bhutan dialogues will be held every second Thursday of the month.  The next program will be held on November 9 and the discussion would focus on “Why Governance.”