Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who by year's end held a tenuous
grip on power, had a mixed record in his dealings with the media. Koirala
has repeatedly voiced his support for a free press, and even emphasized the
role of journalists as educators central to the democratic project. Nevertheless,
his administration has shown little tolerance for the open exchange of news
and opinion on the Maoist insurgency that continues to threaten Nepal's
stability.
When Koirala took office in April, he pledged to restore "law and order."
The government's crackdown on Maoist rebels includes censorship and harassment
of the press. Although the Home Minister has denied any knowledge of a campaign
to censor news of the conflict, police in several cities prevented the
distribution of newspapers containing details of fighting between government
and rebel forces.
Despite constitutional guarantees of press freedom, the 1989 Anti-State Crimes
and Penalties Act criminalizes dissemination of information deemed harmful
to state interests. Some journalists complain that reporting on guerrilla
activities leaves one vulnerable to harassment and violent intimidation by
both government forces and Maoist insurgents.
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, and nearly 80 percent
of its population lives in the countryside. The print media thus face the
daunting challenges of distributing papers across extraordinarily rough terrain
and of building circulation among a cash-strapped and largely illiterate
public. In this environment, radio remains the most effective medium.
The government has begun to grant licenses to a handful of private FM radio
stations. Although most stations broadcast music and entertainment, one station,
Radio Sagarmatha, has emerged as a model for news and public affairs broadcasting
in South Asia. Radio Sagarmatha, a community station, receives funding from
international organizations, and works cooperatively with local groups such
as the Nepal Forum for Environmental Journalists, the Nepal Press Institute,
and Worldview Nepal. It has managed to skirt a ban on broadcasting independent
news with a news analysis program that reviews newspaper stories. |
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