Although Nepal has entered a new era of democracy and press freedom since 2006, self-censorship still exists in the reporting/editing of many Nepali journalists. Nepal has more than 100 years of press history, most of it has faced pressure from the government if not censorship. Drawing upon interviews with journalists, the chapter demonstrates how self-censorship is being practised in Nepali media houses as a result of state power, the culture of impunity, commercial interests, and political inclination of journalists. While highlighting these agents, the chapter also aims to explain the difference in practices of self-censorship by gender and type of news media.
TopIntroduction
The Nepali mass media has experienced tremendous change since the civil war (1996-2006)1. Even though the country has entered a new era since the end of the war in 2006, self-censorship still exists in the professional practice of many Nepali journalists.
The successful elections (legislative, provincial and local) of the three levels of the government in 2017 and 2018 have brought optimism in the country. Although the polarization between the left and right political parties persists, merging of two major left parties and the government of two-third majority epitomizes a stable political situation.
Nepal was ranked 100th among 180 countries in the 2017 World Press Freedom Index, according to a report of Reporters San Frontiers (Reporters Without Borders, 2017). However, in 2018 it fell to 106 and continues to hold the same position in 2019 (Reporters Without Borders, 2019). The report measures press freedom by looking at the factors like media independence and self-censorship. This indicates that while the political situation seems to be on the right track, the case for press freedom is different. Various studies (Diamond, 2006; Graham, 2011) argue that despite the absence of major armed conflict, countries in the post-conflict situation struggle with the legacy of recent violence. Therefore, in a post-conflict situation, there may be other factors that might be influencing news production. During the time of conflict, news production is shaped by the direct physical threats or by an affiliation with one of the conflict parties (Bennet et al., 2007), news production in a non-conflict situation is subject to a broad variety of different influences – such as a societal, organizational and individual level (Hanitzsch et al., 2010; Shoemaker and Reese, 2014, as cited in Jungbult and Hoxha, 2016, p. 2). In such a situation, news production may be subject to self-censorship.
This chapter examines the suppression of press freedom in Nepal in the present context by mainly focusing on the practices of self-censorship among journalists. Drawing mainly upon the in-depth interviews with journalists and analyses of laws and legislation, the study aims to show the situation of press freedom in the post-conflict Nepal. The study also aspires to contribute to the growing body of research in the safety of journalists by highlighting the relationship of freedom of the press and self-censorship.
Firstly, I present an overview of the concept of self-censorship and press freedom and discuss the methodological aspect of this chapter. This will be followed by media scenario of Nepal to lay the background. The findings of the interviews with analysis will follow the next section along with the conclusion.