Nepal Media

P.Kharel, ProfessorCentral Department of Journalism, Tribhuvan University

Broadly speaking, the role of the media is to serve the needs of society—which includes public and interest groups through dissemination of information and ideas, including those related to the promotion of what is referred to as the “national interest”. Though it is given that the media has enormous influence in shaping public perceptions and policies, one way or another, it is not equally or generally appreciated that it is subject to many constraints, not all readily visible. These must be identified in order to attempt an adequate appreciation of what the media can or cannot do, whether it relates to public and interest groups or indeed the promotion of the national interest.As far as news media functioning is concerned, journalism should be free, fair and independent. Not value-free like natural science, it is an objective observation of activities of humankind and its surroundings. The central idea is information and communication speed, aimed at information delivery to society. One of the fundamental duties of the media is to highlight the plight of the underdog, the marginalized and the voiceless.In his “Scoping Out Habermas”, Victor Navasky [Dennis, 1995:119] includes the idea that to flourish, democracy demands continuous conversation, open argumentation and debate.Despite the profound observation, the issue of empowering people in the media is negligible in most countries. Since the 1980s, there have been regular suggestions at various international forums for promoting public service media, especially in the broadcasting sector Those who had expected the move to create a more congenial atmosphere for the cause of smooth and easy access to the media in Nepal do not yet have reasons for great satisfaction.Nepal, since the early 1990s, has recorded media explosion in sheer numbers. The most visible development has been in the broadcast sector Prior to 1990, there were only the state-owned radio and TV. In keeping with the National Communications Policy 1992, the Broadcast Act 1995 came into effect, paving way for private radio and TV services to operate. Nepal became the first country in the whole of South Asia to introduce private FM radio stations [Kharel 2009: 85].In the recent years, the government has taken a more liberal attitude to issuing broadcasting licenses. There has been a ten-fold increase in the last six years. Some 315 licenses for setting up radio stations have been issued, with nearly 215 FM radio services on air More than 65 of the country’s 75 districts have at least one local FM radio station each while Kathmandu Valley has 33 FM Radio Stations. Many districts with a single radio station each are also reached by broadcast stations in the neighboring counties.According to Press Council Nepal’s record, of the total 758 publications printed in 2008-9 and submitted for evaluation, 553 were regular newspapers and periodicals, including 99 dailies, 429 weeklies, four biweeklies and 21 fortnightlies. Nearly half of these publications originated in Kathmandu Valley. Only 29.14 per cent of the total number of news publications were actually published in 2008-9. Twenty dailies from ten districts are categorized “A’. Likewise, all but one of the 18 weeklies in category “A” originates in Kathmandu Valley. The Press and Publication Regulations 2049 prescribes at least 300 editions a year for a daily paper, 80 editions for a biweekly, 40 for a weekly, 20 for a fortnightly and 10 for a monthly while two-monthlies and quarterlies have to have at least four editions each [Press Council Nepal: Barshik Pratibedan 2065: 50]In an already media-saturated environment of Kathmandu, two more broadsheet dailies were launched in April 2009. The competition for experienced and talented hands has raised the salaries of journalists in the broadsheet dailies significantly. The question often tossed up by media critics and intellectuals concerns with whether there is a market for all of them to survive.Ever since Space Time Network, a private cable channel, launched the satellite Channel Nepal in July 2001, private television has made rapid strides in terms of numbers and broadcast hours. Launched in 1984, the State-owned Nepal Television was the only TV channel for 17 years till the first private TV went on air. As of July 2009, a total of nine free-to-air private TV channels have been operating, three of them news channels. Licenses for some 15 more TV channels have also been issued. Likewise, licenses have been given to over 550 cable TV operators.In a country with the disadvantages of difficult topography and illiteracy, radio is the cheapest and most universal mass communication medium. Unlike Press Council Nepal’s Code of Ethics which is mandatory and sanctioned by the State, a broadcaster’s code of ethics, developed by Equal Access, is spontaneous in initiative and voluntary in adoption. It is significantly more comprehensive than the existing code issued by the State-appointed Press Council. Expecting a fool-proof broadcasters’ code of ethics at one go might be too optimistic. As things stand, the code, if adopted, will be a path-breaking document, the like of which is not to be found anywhere else in South Asia.On the issue of participation by minorities in the coverage, production and participation of content- gathering, the proliferation of channels—in the print as well as broadcast sectors—has yet to make a significant headway. This is because of the existing media approach to news and influence. Two models often figure on the question of media power: Dominant media and pluralistic media. Proponents of the dominant media approach view media as subservient to other institutions. Media organizations, in this view, are controlled by small number of powerful interests. They disseminate limited and undifferentiated views of the world affairs, with little critical response. The result is to reinforce and legitimize the prevailing structure of power, filtering out alternative voices. On the other hand, the pluralistic model gives adequate space to diversity.In presenting a picture of Nepali mass media, problems remain in turning newspapers and broadcast channels into effective watchdogs as long as a high standard of true professionalism does not manifest. This is particularly so in the district media, only a handful of which now have institutionalized characteristics. The reasons for slow professional growth of media are not too far to seek: Lack of healthy political culture, aggravated by outdated mind-set deeply ingrained in the society, of which mass media are a part. Insufficient training to journalistic hands plays a role in it. Thus the quantitative growth of media outlets and contents has not matched the desired qualitative growth.Stiff competition among media outlets to outscore one another for attracting audiences has whetted the desire among readers, listeners and viewers to be informed at the earliest. The result: Greater topicality density, i.e. the time difference between occurrences and news carried by the media about the same. The topicality density in Nepali media has generally increased since the mid-1990s due to better investment climate for the media, technical advances in news traffic and newspaper production. This, however, does not necessarily reflect content diversity and a high degree of pluralism. For plurality of a society is reflected in the diversity of its media. A society with extensively pluralistic and diverse media can expect its members to be well-informed to make informed-decisions and thus ensure people’s empowerment. Different segments of society deserve due media attention in terms of coverage of their issues and their participation as consumers/creators/producers.The Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan viewed that the medium is the message, emphasizing the role of our physical senses and our perceptions, and how we relate to media. He saw the technology of communication in a society determining the effects of virtually every aspect of life. He said “hot” media are low in participation and “cool media” are high in participation. Participation does not refer primarily to intellectual involvement but to how a medium engages physical senses [Gordon 2003: 52]

.Authors’ paper on “Role of Media, Public and Interest Groups to Promote National Interest”, presented at a seminar Organized by Sangam Institute.