Nepal observed World Press Freedom Day yesterday (May 3) as in the past, but with a major difference — there has been an unprecedented explosion of freedom since the success of Jana Andolan II last April, to a degree not available even after the success of the 1990 historic people’s movement. Various people may interpret variously the state of press freedom in the country. From a quantitative perspective, the increases in the numbers of licences issued to operate FM radio and television stations, as well as in the growth of new newspapers and magazines may be one good way of assessing the vibrancy of the media. But qualitative evaluation of the state of the press will be even more important. This year, the slogan has been set as “Security for Journalists”. On this day, the right to information and professional journalism are also emphasised. Despite the new freedom, journalists, or sometimes even publishers, continue to work under various kinds of threat, particularly those outside the Kathmandu Valley.

During the decade-long Maoist insurgency, more than a dozen journalists were killed. Though none has been killed during the past one year and no publication has been banned, journalists have nonetheless faced death threats, particularly in the latter half of the year after Jana Andolan II. Several groups in the Tarai launched agitations and journalists were routinely intimidated, ill-treated, beaten up, and even displaced mostly on the grounds that they did not transmit stories the way the agitators wanted. Sporadic cases of Maoist threats to journalists, especially in the outlying parts of the country, have also made headlines. So has the pressure from the security personnel in outside towns. During the past one year, dozens of journalists are reported to have been physically assaulted, ill-treated, or beaten up. Some of them were also detained.

Particularly in the Tarai, journalists still have to work under threat. So, the slogan with which the day was observed is yet to be honoured in Nepal. To promote professional journalism, it is also necessary to ensure that the journalists get fair compensation for their labour and they are not subjected to arbitrary treatment at work. But the government should also fulfil its commitment of several years to implement a law governing working journalists. In the same manner, work on the pledge to make a law on the right to information ought to be expedited. While it is important that the government make good its commitments on the media, extra effort needs to be made by the journalists and publishers themselves to play the watchdog role more effectively, more fearlessly, and more professionally. In this task, a balance needs to be struck between the commercial or political interests of the publishers and the public’s right to know. The day is also a time for self-introspection for Nepali journalists — to build on their strengths and to minimise their professional weaknesses. After all, the interests of society at large and the individual citizen should be the main focus.