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MEDIA |
Question of Supremacy Sudden resignation by Yubaraj Ghimire,
editor of Nepal’s two leading newspapers, poses questions over the editorial
supremacy in the country’s infant media sector By A CORRESPONDENT
Investment by the big business houses in the media
sector has helped to promote professionalism and competition in the country. But the
sudden departure of editor Yubaraj Ghimire from the country’s two largest selling
daily newspapers raises the bitter question: do editors enjoy editorial autonomy in this
country? Although Ghimire, who worked in top positions in
India’s leading newspapers and BBC Nepali service in London before coming to Nepal,
has not elaborated reasons behind his resignation, speculation is rife that he resigned
following differences with the publishers over editorial autonomy. Such speculations about the intervention by the management
in the editorial autonomy are not without reasons. One of the senior managerial executives
in the Kantipur Television is running a news-based program. It shows whether the
management was diluting editorial freedom. “I have resigned on ‘personal ground’. But I
will always support and contribute to the growth of professional journalism in
Nepal,” said Ghimire. He, however, declined to elaborate the personal grounds. With the restoration of democracy, the country has seen
upsurge in media including electronic as well as print. Thanks to the economic
liberalization and media freedom guaranteed by the constitution, investors find favorable
climate to invest in media sector. From Nepalese owned major broadsheet dailies including
Kantipur, Nepal Samacharpatra, Himalaya Times, Space Times and Rajdhani, there are also
other dailies like The Himalayan Times and Annapurna Times, which have foreign investment.
Likewise, private ventures like Kantipur Television, Image Channel, Shangri-La Channel and
Channel Nepal are airing their programs. There are more than 20 FM radio stations
including some that are owned by communities. Before the restoration of democracy in 1990, there were
only two broadsheet daily newspapers Gorkhaptra (Nepali) and The Rising Nepal - both
of them owned by the government. Kantipur Publications alone has its stake in all three
powerful media including Kantipur FM Radio, Kantipur Television and a number of
publications including The Kathmandu Post and The Kantipur dailies. The monopoly of
Kantipur in all three branches of media has always been a matter of controversy and
debate. In this backdrop, the sudden change of editor in the two
leading newspapers has posed many questions. Although the owners of Kantipur publication maintain that
they will follow the professionalism, it is yet to be seen how the newly appointed editors
Narayan Wagle of Kantipur and Prateek Pradhan of The Kathmandu Post will exercise their
editorial autonomy.
Kantipur Publication’s case was not a new one. A
few months ago, the editor of Nepal Samacharpatra Kapil Kafle, too, tendered his
resignation suddenly and so did the editor of Rajdhani daily Jibendra Simkhada. One of the main contributions of editor Ghimire, who was
sent to prison for publishing an article in 2001, is that he helped to popularize the
Kantipur and the Kathmandu Post. Ghimire also had his share of critics who criticized some
of his ways like writing major news stories citing anonymous sources. As such Ghimire’s resignation has triggered the debate
over the editorial freedom Vs intervention by the management. “If publishers are given high-handiness in the editorial matters, the newspaper may turn into business tools,” said a media analyst. “ I have many disputes with the writing of former editor Ghimire but he is a man of professional capabilities who can understand the core cause about political matters of the present political system.” |
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editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
