Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Sate of Newspapers in Nepal- A Study From Past To Present





ABSTRACT

This research report entitled “state of newspaper in Nepal”. The objective of this research is to give the information to the people how newspaper in Nepal is progressive and will be more powerful if we try to eliminate certain hurdles. This abstract mainly concern about the economic sources and challenges in developing the newspaper.  Keeping in mind the ergonomics and the feasibility of the research both in terms of cost and complication, it is deemed to be very useful and can be applied for nation development.

What is Newspaper?

A newspaper is a printed periodical whose purpose is to deliver news and other information in an up-to-date, factual manner. Newspapers appear most commonly in daily editions, but may also be issued twice a day or weekly. "While the content of a newspaper varies, it generally consists of a preplanned combination of news, opinion, and advertising. The editorial section is written by reporters and other journalists at the direction of editors and may also be compiled from wire service reports. The advertising content of a paper can be divided into two parts, classified and display. Classified ads are small, text-only items obtained via telephone and set into the format by the classified advertising representative. Display ads are obtained by sales representatives employed by the newspaper who actively  local businesses for this larger, more visually oriented ad space. A newspaper is printed on thin paper made from a combination of recycled matter and  wood pulp, and is not intended to last very long. Large printing presses, usually located at  a plant separate from the editorial and advertising headquarters, print the editions, and a network of delivery trucks bring them to the newsstands and geographical distribution centers for subscribers."(answers.com) A newspaper is a regularly scheduled publication containing news, information, and advertising. "Newspapers typically meet four criteria:
Publicity: Its contents are reasonably accessible to the public.
Periodicity: It is published at regular intervals
Currency: Its information is up to date
Universality: It covers a range of topics." (wikipedia.com)

HISTORY OF NEWSPAPER



History of media goes parallel with the political history. We can also been immensely influenced by the Nepalese political history and it witness similar situation in Nepalese context.The political history of Nepali journalism can be divided into seven phases.

· Traditional communication system


· Rana period
· Period after the establishment of democracy
· Panchayat period
· Period after the restoration of democracy
· Period during king’s regime ­
· Period following the success of People's Movement-2063 BS onwards

TRADITIONAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM



“During the period, there were no any aids of print and audio-visual media.This period of traditional communication system is non-recorded history of Nepali Media.Bengal Gazette, as the first newspaper of the South Asia, was published from Calcutta, India in 1837 BS (1780AD). However, it did not have any effect to the development of Nepali journalism. Nepal was passing through the unification era at the moment during which no educational or extra activities took momentum. Owing to the political, educational,transportation among many other causes, no influential move took place regarding the publishing of newspapers in Nepal. 'Katuwal Karaune','Jhyali Pitne', 'Sankha Phukne', 'Damaha Thataune', 'Karnal Phukne' etc. were in practice for public information and mass communication during this period. Those practices were in use for a long time and are still in existence in some rural parts of Nepal. Katuwal played an important role in the history of mass communication of Nepal; village panchayat used to appoint them as peons. Due to the geographical difficulties, illiteracy, backward communities and other  difficulties in the country, Katuwals were more effective than other modern media including newspapers to disseminate information.” (www.nepalitimes.com,)


Rana period − 19o3 to 2007






“This period is considered as the initial phase or beginning of the development of journalism of Nepal.In 1908 BS, then Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana (JBR) imported a hand press instruments in Nepal from Europe in course of his visit there. Although it was used for publication purpose only after 58 years of its entry into Nepal, It was said to be the first press machine here. It was kept at JBR's then Palace at Thapathali, Kathmandu. Due to the trademark of an eagle pasted in the machine, it was often called 'Giddhe Press'. But its  official name was Type Printing Press '. The history of Nepalese Journalism began when Rana prime minister Padma Shumsher  Rana had begun the publishing of a newspaper in Nepal. 
He started the printing of Gorkhapatra in the 1958 Bikram era.The first issue was published on Monday, May 6, 1901. After a power struggle with the Rana family,Chandra Shumsher again stopped printing the paper. In the interim, the paper had reached as far as Britain and France. After pressure from those countries, Chandra was forced to restart the publication. The first editor was Pandit Naradev Pandey. Upon resuming the publication, Chandra replaced Pandey with his brother-in-law, Jay Prithvi bahadur Singh, who was then the petty king of Bajhang on Bhadra 22, 1960, in the Bikram era. The paper was weekly and 1000 copies were printed. All the government orders, notices, documents and advertisements were then published in the paper. 
Pandey had to receive written  permission from Lieutenant Colonel Dilli Shumsher Thapa Chhetri before sending the paper to printing. The printing machine brought by first Rana prime minister Jung Bahadur 50 years earlier during his tour to Britain was used for printing this paper. It was called V. and J. Fijjins Makers. The printing machine is still in a museum. It was called gidde press because it had a big figure of vulture on the top. Vulture is called Gidda in Nepali. A large number of tabloids appeared as a part of and surrounding the revolution of 1951, when the family rule of Ranas ended. Since the beginning to this day, Gorkhapatra has been run under the supervision of the government and, in several instances, this has been turned into a propaganda agent of the government. In February 1993, exactly two years after Nepal’s constitution was amended to permit a free press, Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post were launched. Its founder is Shyam Goenka who at barely 29 years of age had a vision of a free press and institutionalization of journalism in Nepal. He had a setback from the fact that despite the two newspapers registering leadership in circulation against the backdrop of the fact that there is hardly any example of a newspaper becoming country's largest in such a short span of time any where in the world; it did not receive government advertisements, and was forced to transfer his shares to Namaste Group (then jointly owned by Binod Gyawali and Kailash Sirohiya) due to financial crunch. "Kantipur" and "The Kathmandu Post" became the first  private newspapers in Nepal's history. 
The two publications quickly found a large audience with the public - as well as contentious relationship with the ruling regime. The two publications have in fact been amongst the strongest pillars in institutionalising and strengthening democracy in Nepal, and have brought about a host of initiatives in the media sector, till February 93 not thronged by any broadsheet endeavor till Shyam Goenka, the visionary, gave Nepal a literal 'food for thought' in the form of the aforesaid newspapers for academicians, intellectuals, thinkers, policy makers, political leaders and the rest to delve on issues of development and take the nascent democracy forward towards a reinforced one. Indeed, a deja vu from the year 1990 when democracy was re-established in Nepal would show as to how these two newspapers have shaped and moulded Nepal's democratic destiny. 
With the initiatives of Shyam Goenka, journalism in Nepal today happens to be one of the most cherished professions for the young literate milieu to opt for and a much respected domain. After Kantipur, at least half a dozen broadsheet dailies sprang up in Nepal over the course of time and the sector has moved towards an organised one since then. The success of Kantipur from the very onset will always stand as a strong case study for the media domain across the  world. Likewise after the success of Kantipur  , Samacharpatra, Himalayan Times ( English)daily, Annapurna Post, Rajdhani Khabar  Patrika, etc also started to flow news in daily basis. These newspapers flew news only in Kathmandu district but failed to flow in other part of our country. During the time of new constitution  also these newspapers got pressure from political parties, powerful people and even government.”( www.wikipedia.org)





Newspaper publication during Rana Period

1.Sudha Sagar
2. Gorkhapatra
3 Sharada: Monthly newspaper started publishing in 1991 Falgun, Editor: Rhiddi  Bahadur Malla,
4 Udhyog: Fortnightly magazine published first in 1992 BS, Editor : Suryabhakta Joshi .
Juddha S. JBR was positive to develop media industry in the country. So, this newspaper was published as a journal to impart industrial information. But it was converted to the literary magazine after two years .It got published having various poems of great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota.
5 Sahitya Shrot: Baisakh, 2004 BS, Monthly Literary Magazine, Editor: Hridayachandra Singh Pradhan;
6 Gharelu Ilam Patrika: Jestha, 2004 BS, Fortnightly, Editor: Bhimnidhi Tiwari. It was  published by Gharelu Ilam Prachar Adda (government office)
7. Shikshya: Jestha, 2004 BS, Fortnightly, Editor: Bhimnidhi Tiwari .
8 Kathmandu Municipal Patrika : Manghsir, 2004 BS, Fortnightly, published on the initiative of Kathmandu municipality .
9 Nepal Shikshya: Asoj, 2005 BS, Monthly, A team of five editors headed by Trailokyanath Upreti published the magazine.
10 Ankha: Asoj, 2005 BS, Monthly, Editor: Devi Prasad Rimal
11 Purusartha: Poush, 2006 BS, Monthly literary magazine , Editor : Budhisagar Seshraj Sharma.
12 Jagaran Weekly: Falgun, 2007 BS, Editor: Hridayachandrasingh Pradhan. It was the first weekly newspaper published from the private sector and first anti–Rana newspaper.
Various newspapers were published from some cities of India in Nepali language. (Source: http://npi10month.blogspot.com)



CURRENT  STAGE  OF  NEWSPAPERS  IN  NEPAL :


The current stage of newspaper (print media)is very powerful in our country. Though many part of the world has already changed the source of information from newspaper to online media. Still ,our developing country Nepal has strong belief in newspaper. The reason behind the strong belief in newspaper is that it is in expensive source of news, it covers almost every news from the country. Day by day in every part of the country newspapers are being established. Many districts are opening local based newspapers like kavre district have around 15 weeklies itself, Biratnagar have around 10 dailies are trying to reach other part of the country except the valley.Though the dailies are running in kathmandu valley only these newspaper try to cover the news from other part of the country as well. Government earn source of income from the tax paid by the newspapers. Newspapers alone cover 35%of tax revenue of the government. This data may vary as many newspapers have been establishing. The weeklies, fortnightly are also very popular among the people. There are many kinds of fortnightly like youth-oriented, job oriented ,business oriented but most of them are based on political news. (Source:www.equalaccess.org)


DETAILS OF PUBLISHED NEWSPAPERS:-

                                               
S.N.
Types of Newspaper
Registered Newspaper
Published Newspaper
Printing Technology




Offset Press
Letter Press
1
Daily
298
89
81
8
2
Bi-Weekly
25
4
3
1
3
Weekly
1442
381
313
68
4.
Fortnightly
273
40
35
5


(Source: Media Directory, published by Press Council, Nepal)

ECONOMIC SOURCE OF NEWSPAPERS

1. Advertisement
2. Syndicate
3. Investment from government
4. Investment from political parties
5. Investment from business tycoon/houses
6. Investment from INGOs/NGOs.

CHALLENGES:

1.The newspaper’s main aim should be public service but it focus on commercial  basis.
2.The newspapers should contain 40%advertsiment and 60% of news but the scenario of nepali newspaper is opposite; it contains 40%news and 60% advertisement.
3.The newspapers always feel pressure from powerful forces, government, political parties etc.
4.The newspapera are sometimes bias to some political forces, government etc.
5.The dailies are puto the mark but the weeklies and the local newspapers from other district lack management in terms of page layout and design
6.The newspapers focus only on political news.
7.The newspapers oriented to other  factors than political are less in numbers.
8.The newspapers should be youth-oriented and bring changes in the society.
9.The newspapers should cover all area of the news.

CONCLUSION
Though we started from Gorkhapatra   today we have come to Nagarik Dainik. During this  phase we faced lots of problems , hurdles  changes but still today also newspapers are still powerful and focusing on giving information to the people. Thus the state of newspapers in Nepal is  progressive and will be more powerful if we try to eliminate these hurdles.

REFRENCE:

 Adhikari, Nirmala Mani, 2008. Communication, Media and Journalism and Integrated Study, Prashanti Pustak Bhandari.
Websites:


(Note: This Research was conducted by Jivesh Jha, in the year 2010, for the course- MEDS 102, State & Role of Media in Nepal. This Paper was presented as a  Term Paper.)

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