Mass Media Making Deep Inroads into Nepalese Life

Rabin Man Shakya
Former Associate Editor, The Rising Nepal

One of my little booklets titled "The  Press in Nepal: Problems and Political Orientation" consisting of 20 pages was published in 1987 in Kathmandu as part of one of the pre-requisite articles for my Ph D thesis in journalism.

On page 11 of that booklet it says: "In the system of mass media, Nepal can be ranked at the infant or initial stage of development comparing to that of advanced countries. This ranking comes as no wonder when one considers that in a country of 16 million population, the literacy rate is 29 percent and the average per capita annual income for Nepal has been estimated as US $140.00, being one of the lowest in the world. For a livelihood, 80 percent of the population still depends on primitive agricultural tools and equipment."

My booklet further went on to say: "Radio Nepal is the only radio broadcasting enterprise in the country. Nepal Television which was borne couple of years ago is serving the people of Kathmandu few hours daily with extreme difficulties. Not to talk of a TV set, to have an ordinary radio set is also considered to be a source of luxury and prestige in this country on the eve of the end of the twentieth century. The newspapers are mainly confined to Kathmandu and some other urban areas."

The government-owned Gorkhapatra and The Rising Nepal were the only broadsheet daily newspapers in Nepali and English. But a lot of water have flowed under the bridge of river Karnali and Nepal has seen a sea of change in the field of mass media. Media scenario of the nation started to change after the restoration of democracy in 1990.The vital statistics about Nepal have changed so far  accordingly. If Nepal's population has reached over 27 million people, its literacy rate now is 57.5 percent and per capita income of the Nepalese people currently is US $ 662.00.  And today the mass media as well as the social media are making deep inroads into the lives of the Nepalese people.

Today, there are over 400 FM radio stations all over Nepal and the number of TV stations has reached almost two dozens, many of them operating 24 hours. Even here in the US, the White Himal TV channel has been  in operation for last several years and airing programs 24 hours a day in Nepali language.

And there are more than 100 daily newspapers in Nepal today. The number of broadsheet daily newspapers is more than 12, four broadsheets are published in English. The new wave underscores the evolving nature of global communication technology.

In fact, it is not only about Nepal. Technology, globalization and Internet are fast changing the lifestyle and perspectives of the people across the world. The world has seen unprecedented revolution in the field of information and communication technology which has  brought about positive changes and progress in social as well as economic fields. As a result, the world today has turned into a real small global village.

However, over the last several years, the majority of the private sector television channels and FM stations have been embroiled in a financial limbo and as a result the journalists and reporters working for these TV stations and FMs have not been paid their salaries in time.

Therefore, one of the bigger issues causing tremendous concern for the journalists and reporters in Nepal is the lower wages and salaries.

Nevertheless, the important factor that stands in the way of enforcing the much-awaited new constitution is the great role of Nepalese mass media in Nepal's turbulent political landscape. It is to be noted that Nepal was plunged into political turmoil for about a decade, thanks to parochial and partisan attitudes of the Nepalese political stalwarts.

Nepal: A Censorship-free Country

Rabin Man Shakya
Former Lecturer of Journalism, Peoples Campus and RR Campus.

The number of countries which are notorious for using censorship to protect the  regime are on the decline. Today the list is not very long as in the eighties and  nineties: China, North Korea, Eritrea, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and some other countries in Africa, Middle East and Latin America. During the Panchayat regime of 30 years, censorship was used in Nepal excessively.

There were cases when the copies of Newsweek, Time magazine and some Indian newspapers were banned and confiscated at the Tribhuvan International Airport for materials related to the Royal family and regime during the Panchayat period in Nepal.

Well, freedom of press does not mean the freedom to print, publish and broadcast pornography and obscene materials. Therefore, some degrees of self-censorship are used  and must be used to prevent pornography and obscenity and that is okay.

But if newspapers and magazines are  banned, harassed and intimidated for publishing political materials against the government and the political parties, it is outrageous and unacceptable. So many Nepalese journalists were harassed and incarcerated during the Panchayat regime only because they used their pen against the government. Suppression of information, news and views as well as persecution and prosecution of journalists are  not acceptable in any way.

Today, Nepalese journalists are politically and legally free of censorship and Nepal is a censorship-free country. Democracy was restored in Nepal in 1990 and broadly speaking there was no obvious censorship in Nepal after 1990 except during former king Gyanendra's takeover in 2005 when even the army personnel were deployed in the news rooms of private sector broadsheet daily newspapers, FM radio stations and television channels.

I was with The Rising Nepal, a government-owned English language broadsheet daily newspaper for over a decade spanning from 1992-2005. I have heard about the grim stories about the top journalists of the Gorkhapatra Corporation being suspended and transferred to other sections for minor mistakes in news stories related to the royal family during the Panchayat period.

Fortunately, I was with the TRN after democracy was restored in 1990. Still the policy of the Gorkhapatra Corporation - which run the newspapers - required to use self-censorship to a considerable degree so much so that a very minor and insignificant piece of news related to the royal family has to be printed on the front page of the Gorkhapatra and The Rising Nepal even after the restoration of democracy in 1990.

I was in the former Soviet Union for over a decade from 1979 to 1989. The Soviet Union was notorious for censoring politically delicate news coverage and jamming the radio broadcasting of radio stations like the BBC and Voice of America. Free press did not exist in the Soviet Union. All the activities related to the mass media were directed and monitored by the CPSU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union). The foreign newspapers and magazines were strictly prohibited in the USSR. Only the newspapers and magazines of the fraternal Communist Parties were allowed. Therefore, the mouthpiece of US Communist Party "People's World" and British Communist Party newspaper "Morning Star" were available at the newspaper kiosks in major cities of the former Soviet Union.

There are a number of reasons for disintegration of countries like the USSR and Yugoslavia. Lack of reasonable democratic practices and absence of press freedom were among them. It is not as easy for the politicians to argue, as they did in the past, that the disintegration of the countries like the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia is the result of grand designs of outsiders. Actually, they were just frightened by the power of democracy and free press.



*Shakya is also State Education Director, NRNA - USA Oregon Chapter, Portland, USA.
**Please leave a comment below.

"I Regret Not Being an Active Reporter"

Rabin Man Shakya
Former Associate Editor, The Rising Nepal

The stereotypical perception of a reporter comes from a person nosing around for news with his pen and notebook, and dangling around with his camera and smart phone. But it is also very true that we can not imagine the existence of newspapers without the reporters. The quintessence of a newspaper is a talented and qualified reporter. Today lots of powerful political stalwarts and powerful tycoons are also scared by  some formidable reporters of popular newspapers. I regret not being an active reporter during my entire experience in journalism. Although I was involved in the news desk during my journalistic tenure, I had opportunity to be friend and to interact with reporters not only from Nepal but from across the world.

Reporters are integral part of news outlets like newspapers, magazines, radio stations and television networks and news agencies. News and breaking news about important incidents, accidents, scandals and catastrophe  are the results of tireless works of reporters.

Judging by interaction and long friendship with the reporters, I can say life of a reporter is not only always hectic and  busy but vulnerable to threats and intimidations and yet it is full of adventures and challenges. You get to meet with so many political stalwarts, business tycoons and luminaries and celebrities.

To work as true reporters in authoritarian countries is really risky and challenging. It is in these repressive regimes that true and genuine reporters are treated like criminals for doing their job honestly. It is in these  authoritarian countries  that hundreds of reporters and journalists have been assassinated for what they wrote.

During my long stay in countries like the USA, the USSR and India, I have confronted with reporters from around the countries ruled by dictators and authoritarian rulers. They had expressed their opinion to me and the bottomline was: the authoritarian regimes are not happy with the modus operandi of the true reporters.

Today Nepal is a democratic country where reporters do not have to face big problems while doing their reporting assignments at least from the side of government, though time and again the Nepalese reporters have been harassed and intimidated by political stalwarts, business tycoons and criminal dons. But, at least, unlike during the Panchayat period, the Nepalese reporters and journalists are not persecuted and prosecuted - for what they write - by the government. But in many repressive and authoritarian countries, hundreds of reporters and journalists are being incarcerated  for what they wrote. In some countries of Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America, seeking out information the government does not want made public deprives the reporters of their basic journalistic freedom.

In countries like Nepal and India, reporters working for newspapers, radio stations and TV networks are under perennial pressure to bring in breaking news and scoops and there is carte blanche to do most bizarre things.

A scoop is a piece of  important or exciting news made public by a newspaper, news agency, radio station or TV channels before its rivals. Reporters across the world are nosing around for scoops and breaking news. Reporters like to nose out all the details of a sensational scandal. Reporters keep looking around places and asking questions in order to discover something interesting.

Well, reporting is a hard  and challenging job, but it is also where the joy lies in journalism. Digging into something newsworthy provides a rush, almost a high. But to discover something new by searching carefully and talking with people is another joy for reporters. Anybody who has worked as a reporter can tell you what it feels like to get a big scoop. I have seen the joy of reporters bringing in the breaking news and scoops in the news desk.

No doubt, news is a result of work of reporter. News must be newsworthy, accurate, impartial and balanced. For this,  opinion of all sides relating to the story must be included.Reporters must be careful careful while writing, gathering and selecting news stories. The primary essence is to identify the important underlying problems of the relevant issues.


*Shakya is also State Education Director, NRNA - USA Oregon Chapter, Portland, USA.
*I value your opinion. Please provide your feedback by posting a comment below.

ABC of Reporting

Rabin Man Shakya
Former Lecturer of Journalism, Peoples Campus, RR Campus.

Despite the decline of the newspaper industry in developed countries like the US, the UK and Canada etc, the scope of print journalism is still on the rise in countries like India and Nepal. Despite low salaries and unfavourable working conditions, more and more people are still attracted to journalism in countries like Nepal and India.

The US is the country where great newspapers of the world: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post etc are published. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were the reporters of The Washington Post and their investigative coverage of the Watergate scandal prompted the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1973.

Today, the scope and integrity of journalism  is on the decline in countries like the US and the UK.  Financially, job of journalists and reporters is not lucrative and is one of the worst paid jobs in the US. According to a recent news story report, newspaper reporter, which displaced lumberjack as the worst job of 2015, has a negative growth outlook of $36,267. Broadcaster and photojournalist, with mid-level annual salaries of less than $ 30,000, also ranked at the bottom of the list.

The unwanted snooping and questionable reporting practices in the US and the UK in recent times have seriously become alarming setbacks for journalism in these  countries.

But still, many American and Western journalists are working at dangerous war and conflict zones, and so many American and Western journalists have been ruthlessly beheaded by the ISIS Islamofascists recently. Well, journalists gather news and information to keep the people informed about important incidents and accidents.

Actually, a selfless desire to dig information is the quintessence of the virtue of true journalism. More often than not, for this, journalists have even to sacrifice with their lives. In the last 15 years, more than 700 journalists have been assassinated, making journalism one of the most deadliest and vulnerable profession in the world.

Majority of journalists and reporters across the world believe the adage that we comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. But there is also no dearth of journalists and reporters who act as the lapdogs of the powerful politicians and business tycoons. There are also a lot of journalists across the world who go after the people they know will not bite back.

And again speaking of reporting,  "telling all sides of a news story" is the best mantra for a reporter. Likewise, a reporter should always focus on ABC: accuracy, balancedness and credibility of the news story.

As a news reporter, if you are not able to reach a person or an organization, you say that in your news story. And if a person denies allegations or accusations in a story, you include that too and it goes without saying that reporting all sides bolsters the credibility of the news story and enhances its newsworthiness. Lately, there have been lots of scandals related to the reporting practices due to the lack of covering all sides of the stories.

Non-resident Nepalese Association (NRNA)-USA Oregon Chapter's First General Meeting Kicks Off in Portland, America

By Dr Rabin Man Shakya
                                         

                                          The newly inaugurated office of the NRNA USA Oregon Chapter's office.

Portland, June 21 (Nepal Oregon News): The first general meeting of Non-resident Nepalese Association (NRNA) USA - Oregon Chapter kicked off on Friday, June 19, 2015 amid a gala function at the US West Coast Taekwondo Hollywood in Portland with national anthem of Nepal played by Kabitanjali Amatya.

Charge D' Affairs  of the Nepalese Embassy in the US Mr Rishi Ram Ghimire and representative of the Embassy Mr Deepak Sharma jointly inaugurated the opening ceremony of NRNA USA Oregon Chapter by lightening the traditional Nepalese twaadewaa.

Charge D' Affairs Mr Ghimire and embassy representative Mr Sharma were on the occasion wrapped with Khatas by the officials of the NRNA Oregon Chapter as well as by office bearers of Nepa Chhen, a cultural center for Nepalese community in Oregon.

The NRNA USA Oregon chapter's first general meeting was presided over by its chairman  and prominent taekwondo trainer Diwakar Maharjan. In his welcome remarks, Mr Maharjan expressed the view that the NRNA Oregon Chapter would aim at keeping closer relationship among the diaspora in Oregon and said that our mantra is: Once a Nepali,  always a Nepali.

Speaking on the occasion, Charge D' Affairs Mr Ghimire expressed best wishes to the newly elected body of the NRNA USA Oregon Chapter. Mr Ghimire on the occasion gave away membership identification tags to the newly elected office bearers of the NRNA USA Oregon Chapter.

NRNA USA Oregon chapter general secretary Mr Sunil Rajkarnikar expressed gratitude to guests from the Embassy for coming to Oregon to open the ceremony and also for finding time to help the diaspora with the Machine Readable Passports (MRPs).

Mr Rajkarnikar said that the Chapter intends to work as a bridge between the diaspora of Oregon, NRNA-NCC-USA and the Nepalese Embassy in the US.

Also speaking on the occasion was president of Nepal Aadivasi Janjati Sangh, California Mr Dandi Sherpa who expressed the belief that the NRNA Oregon Chapter would be able to focus on the interests of the diaspora of Oregon.

An interaction program on MRPs was also organized on the occasion.

The NRNA USA Oregon Chapter's first general meeting was moderated by Chapter's vice president Daya Shakya and vote of thanks was given by Chapter's executive member Ramesh Bhandari at the program which was attended by about 100 general members of the NRNA Oregon Chapter, and representatives of Nepaa Chhen, Nepali Association of Oregon and Nepal Oregon News.

                                          Individual members of NRNA USA Oregon chapter
                                           during the dinner.

Later, that evening, president of NRNA NCC USA Dr Keshav Poudel inaugurated the office of the NRNA Oregon Chapter by cutting the ribbon. Speaking on the occasion, NRNA NCC USA president Dr Poudel expressed his happiness to open the first office of the NRNA Oregon Chapter. Dr Poudel congratulated the office bearers of the NRNA Oregon Chapter and added that NRNA Oregon Chapter has made a history by opening the first official office of the NRNA state chapter even when it is still in the infantile stage.

NRNA USA chief Dr Poudel expressed the view that the NRNA Oregon Chapter would serve as a broader platform that accommodates interests of the Nepalese in Oregon.

Meanwhile, in what could be a landmark event in the chronicles of Nepalese diaspora in Oregon, the NRNA Oregon Chapter's executive committee was elected unanimously recently. Taekwondo guru Diwakar Maharjan, linguist Daya Ratna Shakya, Sunil Rajkarnikar and Jitendra Bajracharya were elected president, vice president, general secretary and treasurer of the Chapter unopposed.

                                            Guests and officials of NRNA USA Oregon chapter
                                             on the podium.

Likewise, physicist Dr Manoj Kansakar,  journalist Dr Rabin Man Shakya, taekwondo guru Sita Kumari Rai, Shrijana Sthapit, Ramesh Bhandari, Pradeep Bajracharya and Surya Thapa Chhetri have been elected  unanimously executive members of the  NRNA USA Oregon Chapter.

The formation of the NRNA USA Oregon Chapter is, no doubt, a testimony of the growing NRNA awareness among the Nepalese diaspora in the north west US.  Hopefully, NRNA USA Oregon Chapter will successfully move to centerstage in the broader activities of the Nepalese diaspora in Oregon.

(Rabin Man Shakya, a Nepali journalist in America, is a Sangha Member of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland, USA and is also a Life Member of World Newah Organization.)


*I value your opinion. Please provide your feedback by posting a comment below.
**Please read my another blog headlined "NRNA and the issue of dual citizenship" in the month of January, 2015. Thank you.

Have the Nepalese Politicians Finally Seen the Light?

Rabin Man Shakya
Former Lecturer of Journalism, Peoples Campus, RR Campus

In the period since the earthquake aftermath, many people in Nepal are seeing a little light at the end of the "constitution-writing" tunnel. That is because many analysts believe the Nepalese political stalwarts of every hue have finally seen the light about the real importance of constitution writing, albeit only after the great devastation caused by the apocalyptic earthquake and only after the Nepalese people in the social media and the  Nepalese media have presented the activities of the Nepalese political parties in the worst possible light.

The need for showing political unity and the need for boosting public confidence in the post-earthquake period should have prompted and pushed the warring political parties of Nepal to reach a compromise on constitution writing.

Since no provision in the interim constitution can be endorsed without a three-fourth majority in the Constituent Assembly, the three main political parties: the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist and the United Communist Party of Nepal - Maoists have no options other than to reach a compromise by figuring out the contentious issues.

What a chutzpah!  As a matter of fact, the Nepalese political parties have consistently worked to somehow deadlock the constitution writing process. In fact, the Nepalese people are sick and tired of the pernicious lies of the political stalwarts. They have been saying in the media, social media and other platforms that they are sick and tired with the way things are going in Nepal.

Although the Nepalese people  have time and again been emphasizing in the media and the social media on the need for building consensus among the political parties for enforcing the new constitution, the major political triumvirates of Nepal -- the NC,  the UML and the Maoists were always embroiled in a tug of war for power.

In the past, the Nepalese political parties and the political stalwarts seemed more concerned and preoccupied by their personal and partisan interests rather than the interests of the common people and the nation.

The discrepancy between the rhetoric and action was palpable and this was the problem in finding an amicable solution to the breakthrough  of the new constitution. Going by the posts of the people in the social media, it is obvious that the Nepalese people were frustrated and discontented by the rhetorical tautology of the pugnacious politicians.

Finally, the intransigence and stubbornness of the Nepalese politicians have been shattered by the changing political equilibrium in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. By striking a deal on historical compromise for constitution writing, the Nepalese politicos have shown flexibility and aspirations to work for formulating the constitution. This must be the last chance for them.

The recent ground breaking compromise between the three big brothers is a testimony to the fact that no differences and disagreements can be irresolvable if the politicians are willing to compromise on the broader interests of the nation and the people.

However, the Nepalese people are still skeptical about the compromise deal between the major political parties of Nepal. Everybody knows about the vested and strategic interests of the political parties (ruling as well as opposition) in striking the compromise deal.

Apparently, subscribing to the maxim "the proof of the pudding is in the eating",  we, the Nepalese people inside as well as outside of Nepal have to wait until the constitution is enforced by the Constituent Assembly of Nepal.

So Who is the First Journalism Ph D in Nepal?

Dr Rabin Man Shakya
Former Lecturer of Journalism, Peoples Campus, RR Campus
Former Associate Editor, The Rising Nepal

First of all, I would like to thank Shanta Ram Bidari for his story headlined "Who are the journalists doing Ph Ds?" in the nepalese.org. Reporter Bidari detailed the names and activities of the Nepalese persons who are doing Ph Ds in journalism as well as those who have done Ph Ds in journalism.

Although reporter Bidari attempted to give the details of Ph Ds in journalism in Nepal, he pooh-poohed the whole story by missing a number of important details. Yugeshwar Prasad Verma did a Ph.D entitled "The English Language Press in Nepal" in 1973 from the Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University. Verma  was not a journalist nor had he any journalistic background,  journalistic degrees like BA or MA in journalism.  Verma was a professor of English at the Central English Department, Tribhuvan University. It was a time when there was not a single school of journalism in Nepal. As a matter of fact, there were no journalism classes even in IA level in journalism at the RR Campus when Verma did his Ph D at the Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University.  Journalism education at the level of IA was launched at the RR Campus, Tribhuvan University only in 1976.

Some salient facts were not mentioned in Bidari's story. Rabin Man Shakya was the first Nepali person to do Ph D in journalism under the theme "The Press in Nepal: Political Orientation, Problems of Growth and Challenges" from the School of Journalism at the Moscow State University in 1989. Prior to that, I successfully completed and passed my Masters Degree in Journalism from the School of Journalism at the Belorussian State University in 1985. Prof Dr Ivan Ivanovich Sachenko of the School of Journalism at the Belorussian State University, Minsk was my guide.

Among the women, Geeta Maiya Shrestha, who was enrolled as a Ph D student in 1988 was the first to defend the Ph D thesis in journalism in 1992. I was amazed at the mendacity that would come from the mouth of a senior journalist and professor P. Kharel who wrongly and falsely told a gathering in Kathmandu that Geeta Maiya Shrestha was the first person to do Ph D in journalism, and more so that many journalists would believe him. As a matter of fact, Ms Shrestha and I were at the same school of journalism at the Belorussian State University, except she was three years junior than me. Likewise, Dr Manju Mishra of College of Journalism and Mass Communication (CJMC) also has been wrongly harping on about Geeta Maiya Shrestha being the first journalism Ph D of Nepal.

For that matter, a number of journalists and observers have been wrongly portraying Dr Manju Mishra as the first Ph D in journalism, which is totally wrong and incorrect.

Similarly, "People's Review" (July 15, 2015) under the heading "Ph D Tendency" misled its readers by stating that Pradeep Bhattarai "should be recognized as the first journalist who had done his Ph D". Interestingly, the People's Review, however, did not or was not able to mention when and in which university did Bhattarai defend his Ph D thesis.

As a journalist, you learn to be cautious of everything that is said to you. Everyone has an angle. So part of a journalist's job is to vet the person who is giving you information to better figure out what that angle or bias is.

Just for record,  therefore, in the history of journalism education in Nepal, Dr Rabin Man Shakya, Dr Geeta Maiya Shrestha and Dr Manju Mishra are first, second and third Ph D holders in Journalism. Late Dr Achyut Babu Koirala was another earlier Ph D degree holder also from the BSU. In a way, the Nepalese media education will be indebted to Soviet educational establishments like the Moscow State University, Belorussian State University and Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University for producing the first Ph Ds in journalism in Nepal. Similarly, Prabal Pokhrel and Badri Poudel, the experienced Associate Professors at the Central Department of Journalism, TU are also the alumni of BSU, Minsk and Peoples' Friendship University, Moscow respectively.

 

Yogendra Purush Dhakal (from University of Oregon, USA -- 1957) and Krishna Prakash Shrestha (from Moscow State University --1963) were the first and second MA degree holders in Journalism respectively.

Likewise, mention must be made of Dr Dharma Adhikari who came to the USA in the Fulbright Scholarship program in 1998 and later earned a Master's degree in journalism in 2000 AD as well as a Ph D degree from Missouri School of Journalism in 2004 AD.

Bidari in his story falsely and wrongly claims that "Dr Mahendra Bista, president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists,  has become the first Ph D degree holder in the journalism sector." That Bidari's story was not based on detailed research and investigation was palpable from the wrong as well as missing information in the story.

A number of Nepalese journalists and journalism teachers, according to Bidari's story, are doing or have already done Ph Ds in journalism, or communication from educational establishments like the Nepal Sanskrit University and Lumbini University which have nothing to do with journalism education, communication and mass communication.

A more valid and authentic Ph D in Journalism is, no doubt, done at a school of journalism where journalism professors have doctoral and post-doctoral degrees too. Likewise, a Ph D in journalism is more relevant  when an aspiring Ph D scholar has also done his Masters Degree in Journalism.

Likewise, it is to be noted that two professors of journalism at the TU Central Department of Journalism Chiranjivi Khanal and P. Kharel do not have any doctorate degree in journalism. Furthermore, Khanal and Kharel even do not have Masters Degree in Journalism. Khanal is MA in Sociology whereas Kharel is MA in History. Shame on Tribhuvan University.



*I value your opinion. Please provide your feedback by posting a comment below.
*Shakya is also State Education Director, NRNA - USA Oregon Chapter, Portland, USA. Shakya also taught Journalism at the Peoples Campus, R R Campus, Tribhuvan University.