Title:Articles: Are journalists is in trouble
Are journalists is in trouble ?
Gitanjali Adhikari
Newspapers have an important role in the history and development of journalism in Nepal. Since the past , the contribution of newspapers and newspapers in sharing information among different types of people and communities have been incomparable.At present, three thousand eight hundred sixty five newspapers in Nepal has been registered in the records of Nepal Press Council . Out of which six hundred sixty five have been published daily. Also , one thousand six hundred newspapers are being published only from Kathmandu valley .
But if we look at the current environment , the condition of newspapers has become dire and miserable . In 2019 , the epidemic of covid- 19 , which entered from the neighbouring country China, also had a great impact in Nepal. The mass media and journalism sector could not remain untouched by the corona epidemic, the condition of newspapers was also deteriorating . With the numerical Growth of the media , journalists started gto feel easy to get job. But ironically , it should be said that due to the non –compliance of the service facilities and condition as stipulated by the law ,the debates and quarrels between the managements , media owners and working journalists are increasing day by day nowadays in various media organizations.Journalists protests on the streets. After not being paid of time , the journalists working in the well-known newspapers of the private sector, from government – owned media house National Gorkhapatra Institute , have also started raising their voice in public .How many journalists waiting for their problems, seeking legal remedies , fighting for the right of journalists and raising their voices.They filed a complaint in the Federation of Nepalese Journalists.
Even though twenty billion is being invested in the media sector by the private sector, after the corona epidemic , the newspapers are facing others problems and problems due to the sudden closure of the media .The development of information and technology in Nepal should be considered as a matter of happiness for journalists , editors , publishers etc, to facilitate journalism .But the beginning of the corona epidemics was the bad luck and difficult days for the West Nepali print media. The current situation of the journalists who have been gaining dominance in journalism by fighting freedom of the press and others issues in different periods is a situation where the name of the print media cannot be remembered. Concerns and questions about how to continue the life of the print media, which has a long history, are now being raised again and again. Especially , the survival of the self employed/ small investment weekly and monthly newspapers is in crisis. Little by little , weekly and monthly newspapers have been closed after the corona epidemic, but it is natural that some of this kind of newspapers now will be recently going to be close.
If we look at the present time , journalism in Nepal will become an electoral profession .Even more , the situation of journalists working in newspapers is becoming critical . The hardworking journalists who use their penfor the right of the suffering have started to become victims themselves. Journalists working in both big and small newspapers in Nepal were suffering. They had not been paid for a long time . The media houses were firing journalists working in their organizations on various pretexts. Nowadays , the number of newspapers firing journalists without paying them is increasing day by day . From forcing the journalists working in media houses to resign to arbitrarily expelling them , the journalists are being subjected to labor exploitation. Moreover , the profession of journalism is becoming vulnerable or unsafe these days. Some journalists have even become unemployed after the corona epidemic. Some of them have left their journalism profession and started working in other profession.
Journalism is condered as an fourth important part of the state.It seem that the state is using it as a means or as a right hand to convey its information , spread the important work done by them to the people or any community. But when the journalists of newspapers and magazines are in crisis , the state has put oil in its ears and pretended not to be listen. Neither punishes the owners of the newspapers who commit injustice nor warns them to take action. Indirectly government supports and help the media owners. There is a situation where the government side is also retreating and trying to understand the problems of journalists . Another problem is that Newspapers owners keeps more people and employees in work but do not provides wages and facilities , even if they are given less wages. The condition of newspapers were becoming miserable. Its existence is now gradually disappearing. Journalists working in newspapers have been subjected to injustice for others reasons such as keeping the journalism profession as a business or a means of earning money by newspapers different names . Doing journalism by people who have no knowledge about journalism. For the past three years , the government has changed several times, but no one has pay attention to the right of journalists. Although many law and regulation are made , their implementation were not found anywhere.
Federation of Nepalese Journalists , an organization that works for the rights and interests of journalists and to listen their voices , has also raised their voice by saying that journalists are in trouble. But they has not been able to think seriously about giving justice to journalists. Journalists also donot go ahead to file a written complaint in the Federation. Complaint are only made verbally.The situation of journalists working in all newsrooms should be taken into consideration by the relavent agencies. More than five hundred complaintshave been given by journalists in the Federation of Nepali Journalists in the period of last three years.But how much have been solved . How much is left till now. Time will tell . It seems that the relavent bodies should move forward for the right of journalists.
नोट: गीतान्जली अधिकारी सामाजिक संचार प्रालिमा जोडिएर अपाङ्गता भएका तथा सोही वर्गका पत्रकारका विषयमा कलम चलाउनुहुन्छ । उहाँ आफू पनि diseableg journalist हुनुहुन्छ । उहाँलाई सहयोग तथा सुझाव दिनचाहानुहुनेले व्यक्तिगत र संस्थागत सहयोग गर्न सक्नुहुन्छ ।
