Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, March 14:

Journalists today demanded a complete “roll-back” to the press freedom, like it was before the February 1 Royal takeover. They urged all journalists and media houses to fight for the freedom of press. “There is an ongoing attack on democracy and press. I wonder if such a move is being taken without understanding its impact on the country’s economy,” said Kanak Mani Dixit, senior journalist and publisher of Himal Khabarpatrika. He was speaking at an interaction organised by Martin Chautari here. Dixit expressed concern that the authorities could adopt a strategy of curbing the Nepali dailies while being lenient towards English language dailies and journals, like in Pakistan. The reason: Nepali dailies and weeklies have a wider readership while English ones are limited to a smaller audience. He called on all editors to unite and reach a common understanding concerning the media’s present situation. FNJ president Taranath Dahal claimed that certain media personnel are inclined to autocratic thinking and that there is a lack of solidarity in the media concerning issues of press freedom.