MF in the Media

KATHMANDU, Aug 18: A study report unveiled by the Media Foundation (MF) on Thursday shows that the security of media workers and media institutions was a dominant issue for Nepal in 2010. The study was conducted throughout that year.

The assessment report, prepared in the context of Nepal´s post-conflict transition, stated that in the total media-focused news coverage in the whole country, current affairs, which included journalists´ security, human rights and politics, accounted for 46% of coverage. Stories on media development and technology made up 41% of the news hole while arts and culture garnered 13%.

In a sample of 9,047 headlines on South-Central Asia aggregated for the year via Google News, India led in the overall coverage of media issues, filling 37% of the news hole. China followed at 28%, with Pakistan at 11%, Nepal 9%, Sri Lanka 6%, Afghanistan 4%, Bangladesh 3%, Bhutan 1%, and the Maldives 1%.

“The year-long study is an effort in evidence-based media criticism,” said MF Co-Initiator Dharma Adhikari, adding, “It will help institutionalize a yearly research and publication.”

Adhikari had briefed reporters about the methodologies and other aspects of the research. Regionally, the study found that India´s coverage appeared diverse, with many stories focusing on technology, market and media practices. Two intertwined topics–the explosive growth of the Internet and online censorship practices–accounted for most of the stories on China.

Throughout the year in Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, there was substantial and sometimes intense coverage of the threat to press freedom and violence against journalists. Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives generated stories spread over a variety of topics. The data revealed sustained coverage of new media technologies in all these countries.

Nepal´s share of coverage remained more or less steady, except for some fluctuations over the year, due to new developments in the sector, such as ICT events, illegal VOIP channels, the killing of two media entrepreneurs, and new storylines like direct to home (DTH) television and the newsprint row between Kantipur Publications and the Indian embassy. Coverage by mainstream English-language newspapers showed three distinct distributions.

Republica published by Nepal Republic Media Pvt. Ltd. dominated other English daily newspapers and two other English-language newspapers. Republica generated 27% of the full-length stories analyzed, followed by The Kathmandu Post (11%), The Himalayan Times (9%) and The Rising Nepal (9%).

Two weeklies, Nepali Times and Telegraph, generated 5% and 4% respectively of the content. The bulk of the content on media (35%) originated in “other” online domestic and foreign sources, including media watchdog sites, blogs and wire services. In terms of individual newspapers, Republica garnered the largest coverage in each of the three subject areas—current affairs and politics (21%), business and technology (29%) and arts and culture (39%).

It was followed in the coverage of current affairs by The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times, The Rising Nepal, Telegraph and Nepali Times. Among story types, news was dominant (62%). Op-ed articles comprised 31% and feature stories 7%. Most news stories concerned security of journalists and new media technologies. Op-ed articles and features discussed media profession and entrepreneurship.

The qualitative segment of the analysis focused on media coverage of media in the context of Nepal´s post-conflict transition. The research found that 21% of Nepal stories were related to themes of peace. A close reading of these significant stories showed that security of journalists and their media institutions was the most dominant topic in news media coverage of the media.

Stories were analyzed for the external and internal constraints on media practices during the post-conflict situation and for their peace-orientation. External constraints were most visible in the coverage of violence against journalists, their employers and media institutions.

In the first quarter of the year, news media gave intense focus to the killing of two media entrepreneurs, Jamim Shah and Arun Singhaniya. Some newspapers were threatened for covering the Shah story, thereby generating more stories about the beleaguered media.

Republica, 18 August 2011.

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