Journalistic Ethics in Nepal -Yam Bahadur Dura Concept: Ved Vyas, Gautam Buddha, Acharya Bishnu Gupta, Paigambar Mohammed and oriental sages like Adi Sangkaracharya and occidental philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle have defined ethics as spiritual issues (Mainali, 2008:11). The journalistic of code of ethics provides journalists with basic system for self- evaluation, self-limitation, self realization, regulation self-correction and self- control as they perform their duties. The code of ethics paves the way for the framework that facilitates journalists to deal with plenty of ethical questions and moral issues viz. conflict of inertest, ethical dilemmas, and so on. As its pervasive connotation, it is not easy to define journalistic ethics. Ethics has to do with duty - duty to self and duty to others. Although it relates to obligations to others, it is private and personal…. In other words, media ethics concerns right and wrong, good and bad, better and worse actions taken by people working for media (Adhikary, 2008:289). Media ethics is not any fixed set of rules or laws. Rather, it is defined as a process that evolves with the world in which the media operate, and on which the media reports. There are no fixed "right" answers. However, ethics is an important in the mass media profession that pervades the entire professional activity. Journalists as well as other professional communicators are right in the middle of all sorts of ethical concerns in the daily work environment. They have to decide what is the right – or at least the better – thing to do at every turn (Ibid). Ethics is not enforced by laws. They are understandings among journalists as to what is proper journalistic behavior. Some of these agreements are formulated in codes. The personal beliefs and, social and cultural backgrounds of journalists also constitute ethical commitments. Journalistic codes of ethics facilitate journalists to mitigate conflict of interest, ethical dilemma and improper acts. Development of Journalistic Ethics in Nepal The journalistic ethics in Nepal seems to be come into being with the advent of the first Nepali newspaper Gorkhapatra in 1901. The then Rana Prime Minister Dev Shumser issued a decree on Baisakh 11, 1958 (April 23, 1901), which was popularly known as Sanad, that set certain standards as to what is to print and what is not to print in Gorkhapatra. It may be regarded as the first archetype of journalistic ethics in Nepal. However, this can also be termed as shield laws which were set to protect Rana rulers from media criticism. This Sanad (decree) came more than two decades ahead of "Canons of Journalism" was issued. "Canons of Journalism" was adopted by American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) in 1922.