"You honor me first, I'll honor you later".

There is yet another absorbing facet of Nepalese journalism. Basically it is supervised by a pious motive of "you honor me, I'll honor you". This process has gained currency of late. In sum and substance, to understand as to what is done or how it is achieved is very easy to understand. The whole process demands from you is that you must have a group of some friends, intimate ones albeit, and converge at one place and form a group or association of the Nepalese media. The activities could well stretch from media freedom, HR issues to the establishment of peace in the world, to say the least. It could be even studying "why the prostitutes" opt for this profession. People will definitely long to read as to why this profession which is considered to be one of the oldest profession or say business in the world has become so popular in this Kingdom of late. Understandably, the demands of the newspapers, which print stories based on such issues, have become great for obvious reasons. It is a different matter indeed if the media man conducting a "face-to face and bet to bed" research on this topic gets involved in this research method to the extent that one fine morning some newspapers print "his" naked photograph with the "prostitute" with whom the kind soul had gone for an "exclusive interview". The media man thus might be affected of the AIDS but yet he would be seen seeking an advisory post at the AIDS control center funded by some kind hearted donors. One such case happened in Kathmandu recently. I'm not sure whether he is AIDS infected yet or some rivals simply created a furore against the media man. However, the fact is that I myself saw his photograph in which he was shown in an "'unacceptable" pose with that poor prostitute. No body knows whether the "exclusive" interview with the girl got printed or not. But yet what is for sure is that the money donated by the donor for this purpose went to the dogs. Poor donor.

Coming back to the point, what I would wish here to say is that the new method acquired by some media men to honor their own "brethren" is a new phenomenon comparatively speaking. This process revolves around the idea that if some one close to you manages a shawl and a purse for you and lectures of your past or even present contributions in the promotion of "healthy" journalism in Nepal amidst a set of your own colleagues, the person thus receiving the "honor" becomes instantly great and to make one great the national media knows how to do the rest. And when the national television telecast these events in its evening clipping, the people who watch it definitely think of the particular person's "laudable" contributions made in the concerned sector. This readily enhances his or her prestige. Now that when your friend has managed for you such a rare honor, all that you have to do is to arrange a similar sort of program wherein you "'honor" the friend who earlier honored you. The process continues on and on and the poor people at the down level consider you both to be the national heroes.

In fact there is a set of media institutions in Kathmandu that act in this fashion. For these institutions, personal friendship is some thing more exclusive that his or her contributions made in the concerned sector.

Only recently, one institution honored a journalist who had recently honored the chief of that institution.

The fact is that so many media men who are being honored these days possess no newspapers. However, they continue to be "senior journalists" of the nation whose "model" one is supposed to apply in the sector of Nepalese journalism. Instances abound when some "veteran senior journalists" at time of the last popular movement pocketed "cash" from the then last minute communication minister Ramesh Nath Pandey and highlighted the "qualities" of the almost dying regime. If Mr. Pandey so wishes perhaps can divulge the good names that pocketed money from him to save the dying system then. But will Pandey, currently an MP at the Upper House, dare to do so?

Likewise, some media men have developed a special charm in being called or addressed as "senior journalists". To make a new entrant a senior journalist is very simple. You don't have to pay for this job. All that you have to do is to organize a program related to media affairs. Bring in your friend to the podium and when it is this journalist' turn to come to the mike, address him as a "senior" journalist. From the very next morning, people begin calling his "senior" journalist of the nation. Next time may be the friend whom you honored, might confer on you the same title albeit at a different program.

Thus, if you wish to be honored and become a senior journalist, form a group of seven and act in a manner mentioned just above.

To become a senior journalist you need not have any newspaper with you. All that you have to do is to "hate" those media men who possess newspapers and at times issue some statements that "teaches" ethics to the men who really were the real journalists.

The fact is that most of today's senior journalists were one time the salaried servants of the government owned and controlled media institutions. A sizeable chunk of the former government-journalists had a track record of having toed the government line and that too willingly. Some even had very intimate links with the disciplinary organ of the erstwhile regime and were supposedly "paid" for their "valuable suggestions" offered to the now defunct organ. It is altogether a different matter that those senior journalists now talk of "freedom of the press" and at times denounce the system which nurtured them for quite a long period in the recent past.

Finally, there is yet another band of journalist who does not bring out regular issues as is demanded of them. However, this band comes out on a regular basis only as and when some "friendly"' countries observe their "national days" celebrations. The most shocking part of the story is that why and how the friendly diplomatic missions recognize such "occasional" newspapers for popularizing their country's traditions and culture and more so the existing politics is beyond our imagination. Any way this is not of our concern.

Headline | National | 5 Question  | Editorial | International | Past |