Muzzled Nepali media at its bizarre best By RAJAT PANDIT TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2005 01:41:50 AM ] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1013227.cms KATHMANDU: Newspapers, radio and TV stations in the Himalayan Kingdom have been muzzled like never before, with clear censorship orders enforced by gun-toting soldiers that even a single word against the royal takeover and dismissal of the Deuba government will be viewed very harshly.
Some Nepalese journalists are fighting back by the only means they can. Sometimes with humour. The largest-selling English newspaper, the Kathmandu Post, for instance, came out with a hilarious editorial entitled "Socks in Society" on Saturday. The editorial advised readers to wear "clean socks" in the coming summer. It lamented that Nepal did not manufacture "good quality" socks and has to import them from China or India. Other topics on which editorials are being written include archery and women's cricket in Nepal, as also how to enjoy the bright sunshine. As a precaution nevertheless, many journalists have gone 'underground' due to the crackdown launched by the Palace. Rumours, in hushed tones, talk about six journalists being 'picked up' by soldiers already. But the arrest of only two, Federation of Nepalese Journalists' general secretary Bishnu Nishturi and president Tara Nath Dahal, has so far been confirmed. "Many others have been threatened. It's dangerous to be a journalist these days," said a veteran reporter. Nepal's new information and communication minister, Tanka Dhakal, has made his priorities very clear. "The media has to be disciplined," he warned, rather ominously soon after he was sworn in. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Meet the McDonald�s� Lincoln Fry get free digital souvenirs, Web-only video and bid on the Lincoln Fry prop charity auction. http://us.click.yahoo.com/RUJaMB/fV0JAA/Zx0JAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> �������������������������������������������������������� Members of the ZESTMedia list exchange news and views about the media in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan. Write to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTMedia by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ Get all ZESTMedia mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ ====== theZESTcommunity ====================================== [1] ZESTCurrent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCurrent/ [2] ZESTEconomics: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTEconomics/ [3] ZESTGlobal: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/ [4] ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ [5] ZESTPoets: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/ [6] ZESTCaste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ [7] ZESTAlternative: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTAlternative/ [8] TalkZEST: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TalkZEST/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
