Politics: Troubled Media In Nepal

Various forms of media deserving to gain high level of independence for the reformist mechanism are in fact intimidated by an insidious strategy of the government that now is being viewed as commentary critical of the authorities as an attack on the national interest in Nepal. With the onset of the conflict situation in this country, reporters frequently find their access to state and other indigenous information blocked in the name of flimsy security grounds.

Nepal is going through a difficult episode in the search for resolution of serious armed conflict. Political violence since the declaration of a "people's war" by Maoists rebels on 13 February 1996 has caused to claim almost 12,000 lives and up to $5 billion in property. The constitution of Nepal 1990, in principle, provides basic democratic rights including the freedom of press and freedom of speech.

In practice, however, the Nepali journalists are still being deprived in exercising independent journalism and are frequently harassed by the authorities and the police. The violation in press freedom has been significantly experienced since the country was ruled under a dictatorial monarchy with a partyless system called Panchayat (period of the then king Mahendra's absolute rule) from 1960 to 1990. Likewise, after the February 1st move by the king, it has been shown the similar circumstance regarding ugly handling of the Nepali media.

Vigorous attempts used to proceed at the time of Panchayat, including censorship and discouragement of the individual journalism. With this new political scenario aftermath the February 1st royal coup, despite the constitutional protection, our journalists face indecent activities like arbitrary arrests, detentions, and pressure by the state authority and even by the rebels. And in some cases even murder has been come to the light of some reporters and journalists while doing their independent practices.

Today while the country is getting through the bizarre circumstances of war, the work of journalists and reporters counts much as they are daring to fulfill their professional responsibility, amazingly, bridging the gap between the citizens and the center acting in the most remote and direst regions that are entirely vulnerable to the conflict.

Even though the efforts at bringing the conflict stories of despair and killings to the mainstream are feeble, of being the journalists ironically less professional workforce from the untrained locals, they are, at least, keeping the whole country and neighbourhood informed. The most of the 4,000 journalists, who are the members of the Federation of Nepal, are based outside the valley and circulating the information to the center, which is of course not a cakewalk, as they frequently have to bear the immediate brunt of the armed insurgency getting intimidated both by the security personnel and the rebels.

Despite the gruesome condition faced by the media workers in Nepal associated with the uncertainty of profession and the life itself, adding bitterness to it, they are moreover been attacked by the authorities in the name of national security. It could be obvious to ban the unfair and incomplete or under true stories, but blocking of the honest and factual representation of any event can only justify the illegal prohibition concerning one-sided benefit and maintaining stereotype beliefs. The blockage of dissemination of the news by the FM radios by the state authority is another gruesome setback for the information flow in the country.

By this practice, the mass population can never be aware of the real incidents and become blindfolded to the situation unable to bestow their proper response. Concerning the warring situation, the media was not and is not being given appropriate access to the core proceedings of the peace conference, as it is vital to chart out a neat communication strategy at the outset of peace negotiations as the strategy to gain peace can be seen related merely in the interest of government or the rebels, but the equal participation of the common citizens is crucial.

While looking even further, some journalism-practices in Nepal seem tenably inclined to sensationalism. The aspects of journalism have been seen, in some way, inclined to the prospects of the political propaganda. Some political workers, including the parliament members, were being seen still working as the editors with their views expressed mostly favouring the one's self-standpoint or the party's benefits without the fair approach of dissemination.

At an overall look, the Nepali press was and is dominated by the political oppression and currently getting even more pestering by the governmental bodies. A few journals in Nepal sustain economically through regular circulation and sale. As a result, many of them have to depend on sponsorship either of the opposition political parties or the parties in power. And such they are used or tried to be used by the sponsorship provider. And so the journalists and media houses are being deprived of the proper economic funding through the sponsorship by the state authority. Such Economic independence of journalism is a worldwide problem whether it is financed or owned by the government or the private sector, which generally provides the media for being sponsored and being used.

Nepal also lacks trained journalists. No government has yet sent any journalist to train abroad. Quite a few journalists have been trained in the US or the European countries under scholarship offers from the respective countries. Going back to their country, it is hard to use their knowledge for them, as such qualified journalists are few in number, and the working environment is more hubbub.

Nepal needs to establish a well equipped training institute for the journalists within the country to produce skilled journalists, and to dominate the media world by the skilled journalists' effective work. And also, the legislation should be molded accordingly making a comfortable situation for the journalists, enabling the fair stipulation of news and condition should be made suitable for a free expression without inappropriate censorship and bafflement of the information which is in practice in the Nepali media today.

Coming to this era, different media sectors associated with TV, radio, variety of newspapers, or overwhelmingly developed internet has made a big jump regarding the world media. Modern media has made the world essentially narrow and ideas can flow from one corner to the other in no time.

By the sophisticated media technology, a news from a darkest corner of the world hits the international headlines within the split of the seconds and thus is likely to create the brotherhood and understanding among the people of diverse ethnicity or nationality and help to formulate imperative ideas to solve the problem in a global perspective.

Regarding Nepal with this uncomfortable situation of war the human rights groups as well as the international community should be involved to view the internal malfunctioning and rights violation of media in Nepal and feed the mass Medias to be more expressive and dexterous on their functioning.

©Copyright 2005 by AlternativeApproaches.com

About the author: Amit Pyakurel says of himself: "I'm a student at a college. I'm interested in politics or social issues, so I do like to contribute my effort by writing something in these issues. I wish to give my best on informing the issues regarding my country Nepal and may be also about the world politics in future. Honestly, I am not an expert writer right now, but I'll do my best to better my skills while getting engaged in writing and publishing career." He has also been published on OhMyNews.com.

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