A total 52 incidents of press freedom violations were recorded in 2023.
This statement was originally published on freedomforum.org.np on 31 December 2023.
Freedom Forum’s annual media report shows the severe impact of the economic downturn on Nepali media. The report highlights that a slump in the advertisement market, shifting advertisements to digital platforms and Apps, the indifference of thr government and parliament to law and policy reform, the massive retrenchment at media houses, the continued intimidation of journalists, the muddled management of social media, and the spread of mis- and disinformation, which are polluting the information ecosystem, featured significantly during the past year, 2023.
The report states that in total, 52 incidents of press freedom violations occurred in Nepal, where more than 59 journalists, including 9 female journalists, were directly affected. Compared to the previous year, the number of violations rose and there was varying nature of violations, something which the report mentioned as a worrying trend.
According to the report, Bagmati province tops the violations list, while online journalists were the most targeted among journalists from other forms of media in 2023. Of the total 59 journalists affected in different incidents, 10 were intimidated through social media. The number of attacks and manhandling combined stand at the highest (23), which was followed by threats (19). Similarly, 9 journalists experienced misbehavior, while 6 were obstructed from reporting, and 2 were arrested and detained.
Two online media offices and two print media offices were also attacked in different incidents. In these incidents, people barged into the offices and threatened the staff over their investigative and critical media contents.
The report mentions that there was no response from the State agencies to address impunity relating to crimes against journalists in 2023. Similarly, the nation did not experience any positive improvement in law and policy reform this year. Although the government has recently released drafts of the National Mass Communication Bill and Media Council Bill on December 21 seeking inputs from the public, whether the recommendations will be addressed in the final bill is yet to be seen, claims the report.
The report also discusses the formulation of media-related bills in Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Koshi provinces.
“The advertisement market dwindled badly, resulting in huge retrenchment in media – curtailment of newspaper pages, massive layoff of staff and journalists, closure of regional media offices, and job hopping among journalists are amongst the worrying trends observed this year”, asserts the report stating that out of over 4,000 online media running in Nepal, very few are running comfortably. The advertisements have shifted to digital platforms, such as Meta and WhatsApp, Viber and others, which are new challenges to both traditional and digital/online media.
The report also quotes a FF study which found that, “as many as 100 media outlets from seven provinces have stopped their operation and approximately 243 media persons quit their jobs in 2023”.
Apart from these developments, the digital sphere also faced several challenges this past year, 2023, ranging from a TikTok ban to the blocking of online portals. The report also stresses the challenges faced by citizens, media persons and media houses, due to the spread of misinformation and disinformation online.
Categorization of the data on violations of press freedom is a significant feature of the annual report. The report further welcomes the National Human Rights Commission’s decision to make functional the journalists’ safety mechanism with additional improvements as recommended by the concerned stakeholders.
“The little or no-reporting on people’s problems and governments’ activities owing to financial constraints in the media, have emboldened government and political parties to suppress media freedoms and co-opt media persons”, is an additional observation in the report.
The Executive Chief at Freedom Forum, Taranath Dahal, argued, “Media-related laws and policies are formulated as criminal law, which is strictly against Nepal’s constitutional provisions and international human rights standard. The [relevant stipulations] must be covered under civil law.”
Dahal further points out the need for boosting the advertisement industry and urges the government to distribute the advertisements fairly and proportionally.
The full report can be downloaded here.
