'Atmosphere for press freedom yet to improve in Nepal'


(Narayan Prasad Ghimire)
Kathmandu, May 3: "Where is the security of journalists when a reporter is manhandled and her camera seized during reporting in the capital city itself? Why wouldn't journalists be forced to practice self-censorship when no any organization including the umbrella organization of journalists heeds to anything more than a press release after misbehaviour to a female reporter?" It was what a female reporter working in a news portal in Kathmandu shared during a programme organized on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday.
The participants were awestruck when she related her plight following the obstruction in reporting about a death of a school boy inside a school run by Nepal Police. She was venting her ire against the umbrella organization of journalists and the security agency. "I'm tortured and bound to restrain myself to exercise my right to free expression and press freedom," she added.
The story told by Rupani GM, a reporter with lightnepal.com news portal, signals how the journalists are working in Nepal, a fledgling democracy. Constitution has fully guaranteed press freedom and freedom of expression, but the cases of obstruction and manhandle are rife in Nepal for long.
An annual (May 2016 to April 2017) report on press freedom in Nepal released by Freedom Forum on the World Press Freedom Day at the programme also brought forth the facts and stories of similar concern as related by reporter Rupani. The report has stated that incidents of press freedom violations have declined with the less number of political agitations in the country during the monitoring period. A total of 29 press freedom violations were recorded by this organization against 59 violations last year. As many as 80 journalists were affected in 29 incidents.
Despite the decline in the violations, the atmosphere for press freedom is yet to improve, the report points out, adding that among 29, there were eight cases of attack, six death threats, five arrest, and four obstructions, among others.
With the expansion of internet, the elements hostile to press freedom may target the internet-based media, according to the report. Mentioning this as a new trend during the monitoring, the report stated that a news portal newssewa.com operated from Kathmandu was blocked in February 2017 over the news it published. The news was about an effort of a senior police official to hide his misdeeds. Two other websites- arthiknews.com and karnalikhabar.com were also blocked by the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) upon the request of Nepal Police, added the report.
It was amazing that political parties, despite being one of the pillars of the democracy, were hostile to media persons. "Unless the local political cadres are made aware of the importance of free press, the media persons are continuously at the receiving end of 'uncultured politics'. The written and verbal commitments of the political parties to free press need to be materialized into practice," argued the report.
Similarly, speaking at the programme organized by Freedom Forum and IPI Nepal Chapter, Freedom Forum's Chief Executive Taranath Dahal said the May 3 is the day to remember the contribution of the journalists for improved democracy and to ponder for safe environment for journalists in the days to come.
Investigative journalist Hasta Gurung said unless Nepal witnesses the situation of zero-death threat to journalists, media freedom would always face risks.
Associate Professor at Kathmandu University, Dr Sudhamshu Dahal, said time has come for the practice of ethical journalism to improve media freedom.
"I've not felt democracy at all," said film director Ganesh Dev Pandey, expressing plight that he was denied making film merely because of the title of the film 'Gajabaja'.
Chief Reporter with the Naya Patrika daily, Parshuram Kafle, said journalists themselves had tremendous role to play to improve press freedom with integrity and professionalism.
Other participants at the programme spoke about legal and policy fronts of media, saying efforts were needed for atmosphere conducive to improve press freedom.
Meanwhile, a US-based organization, Freedom House, has described Nepal as a partly free country in terms of press freedom. RSS 

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