Media Policy Op-Eds

Cabinet decisions must be transparent

The government of K P Sharma Oli on Sunday committed such an action, which, if this is what the government is bent on doing in the days to come as...

Republica प्रकाशित मिति   कार्तिक २८, २०७५ गते

Not disclosing cabinet decisions a huge setback for freedom of info

Nov 14: The way Minister for Communication and Information Technology Gokul Banskota responded to a crowd of reporters desperately waiting to learn about the decisions of a Cabinet meeting the...

Taranath Dahal/ Republica प्रकाशित मिति   कार्तिक २८, २०७५ गते

Why so secretive?

A Cabinet meeting held on Sunday evening after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli recuperated from his weeklong illness took a number of decisions, including the appointment of three ambassadors to...

The Himalayan Times प्रकाशित मिति   कार्तिक २७, २०७५ गते

Treat the press equally

Oct 10, 2018- The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology recently urged all government entities to prioritise state-owned media while distributing information and giving advertisements in order to support and...

The Kathmandu Post प्रकाशित मिति   अशोज २४, २०७५ गते

Dry spell

Oct 5, 2018- On September 21, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology announced through a press release that it was going to institute a blanket ban on online pornography....

The Kathmandu Post प्रकाशित मिति   अशोज १९, २०७५ गते

Towards a digital Nepal

Nepal has embarked on an economic revolution to bring progress and prosperity after a successful transformation into a federal republic. Therefore, there is a great need for information communication and...

Ashma Dixit प्रकाशित मिति   अशोज १५, २०७५ गते

Is porn to be blamed?

For the past few weeks, the rise in the number of sexual crimes in Nepal has been drawing international attention, prompting massive protests and shocking millions. Data shows that for...

Purna Kumar Rana प्रकाशित मिति   अशोज १५, २०७५ गते

Does porn abet rape?

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT) last week directed the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) to block access to all pornographic contents on the internet and requested internet service...

Ujjwal Acharya/ Republica प्रकाशित मिति   अशोज १२, २०७५ गते

Democracy dies when press is not free

The world, it seems, is becoming hostile toward journalists and the free press. In the United States, President Donald Trump persecutes media by dismissing them as “fake news” outlets. In...

Republica प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ २८, २०७५ गते

Rise of digital dystopia

A government official returns home and starts browsing Facebook with the objective of making full use of the internet connection he acquired to stay in touch with his family abroad...

Samik Kharel/ The Kathmandu Post प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ २२, २०७५ गते

Uphold press freedom

Some lawmakers from the ruling and opposition benches have registered amendments on a number of clauses of the Right to Privacy Bill tabled in Parliament. The Bill has drawn flaks...

The Himalayan Times प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ २०, २०७५ गते

‘Criminal Code and right to privacy bill curtail press and media freedom’

Minendra Rijal, central working committee member of the Nepali Congress and a former minister, has criticised Nepal Communist Party (NCP) government’s key policies including its stance on the new Criminal...

Jagdishor Panday/ The Himalayan Times प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ १९, २०७५ गते

Why privacy bill should be amended

Individual privacy is a constitutional right. Nepal has constitutionally ensured our right to privacy since 1990. But separate act had not been endorsed by the parliament then. As a result,...

Taranath Dahal/ Republica प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ १८, २०७५ गते

Muzzling the media: Threat to democracy

When this new government was formed in February, there were high hopes that the country would now embark on the journey of peace and stability. Meanwhile, there were also scepticisms...

Laxman Datt Pant and Kamal Dev Bhattarai/ The Himalayan Times प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ १२, २०७५ गते

Value differing opinions

Aug 23, 2018-Is August 2018 the beginning of the end of free expression and, by extension, democracy, in Nepal? Let’s hope that’s not the case. Imagine a situation where the...

Binod Bhattarai | The Kathmandu Post प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ ८, २०७५ गते

Truth to power

Aug 23, 2018-A free, independent press and freedom of expression are two of the mainstays of a democratic society. They contribute to the responsiveness and accountability of the government to...

The Kathmandu Post प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ ७, २०७५ गते

Let the press be free

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and his cabinet colleagues never fail to speak in favor of free press. One of the refrains in their public speeches has been commitment...

Republica प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ ७, २०७५ गते

Press Freedom Under Attack?

The Nepali press and many journalists are now an agitated lot. The reason behind their agitation is: the inclusion of provisions in the recently launched Criminal Codes that are regarded...

Narayan Upadhyay | The Rising Nepal प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ ६, २०७५ गते

Nepal’s new criminal act raises press freedom concerns

Nepal’s new Criminal Codes Act 2017 and Civil Codes Act 2017, became law on August 17, 2018, replacing 15 laws including 55-year-old civil and criminal laws. The new laws were...

Ujjwal Acharya | Int'l Federation of Journalists प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ १, २०७५ गते

Privacy and the press

On the World Press Freedom Index, Nepal ranks 106th out of 180 countries. That is  certainly not something to be proud of. But when you look at the neighbourhood, Nepal...

The Kathmandu Post प्रकाशित मिति   भदौ १, २०७५ गते