Nepal coverage in US media is encouraging
Manish Swarup/
Associated Press via The New York Times
Head of the wonderful American family that is hosting me in this alien land of New Jersey, half an hour drive from downtown New York City, was pleasantly surprised by what he saw on the front page of the New York Times. A big photo, actually four columns, with a boldfaced line under it: “Conciliatory Gesture by King of Nepal Does Little to Halt Violence.” Just below that line goes on the main body of the caption that explains the horrific photo to hundreds of thousands of Americans. “Police officers used clubs to break up an antimonarchy demonstration yesterday in Katmandu (Kathmandu as we spell). King Gyanendra said later that he would turn over power to a prime minister chosen by the political parties, but his statement seemed to bring little relief in the national crisis.” Then the Times wanted its readers to turn to Page A6 where there was yet another four-column photo with a six-column news story. The caption of the black and white photo read: “A photograph of King Gyanendra landed in a ditch yesterday with other items tossed there by demonstrators in Katmandu, the Nepalese capital”. The front page color photograph is credited to Manish Swarup/Associated Press where as the second one is clicked by Tomas van Houtryve for The New York Times. “It’s rare that I see Nepal on the front page of the Times,” my host said. (As I am writing this blog, I can see another report on Nepal is the leading news on the Times web site.)
A few minutes later his wife enthusiastically showed me the World Page of a local daily newspaper of the town that had given nearly quarter page long report on Nepal. “Oh..this is rare,” she said pointing out to another small piece of news about another country. “Before, this paper would give only this much of space. Today it’s big.” Yes, my hosts aren’t the only people surprised by the sudden increase of Nepal coverage in the US media in the last several days. No doubt, the coverage of the Times (by its reporters Somini Sengupta and Tilak P. Pokharel) is the best coming out from Nepal. And the same was observed by prominent media personalities of the US in an international conference of journalists from around the world. “The Nepal coverage of the Times is wonderful,” said Walter Isaacson, former CEO and ex-managing editor of Time Magazine: “It has fallen into the hands of very good reporters.” Isaacson was moderating a panel discussion taking part by celebrated American journalists including the legendry former Washington Post executive editor (now vice president at-large of the Post) Benjamin C. Bradlee. Gwen Ifill, a journalist with ABC, agreed.
“We have been working very closely with India. We welcome the proposal [put forward by the king]. Now [the arrow has been] turned to the political parties. Now they should form the government. That is extremely important.” -American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
The panel discussion was organized in Washington D.C. as part of an International symposium in which about 129 journalists, including myself, from around the world participated. All of those journalists were visiting the United States at the invitation of the US State Department. They went to different American cities, discussed about journalism and American society with American professors in different Universities (I went to University of Southern California along with the South Asian, South East Asian and English language African groups) and observed how their American counterparts work in different media houses. The symposium was also addressed by the American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Responding to a question on the recent political situation in Nepal, especially the royal address, Rice said, “We have been working very closely with India. We welcome the proposal [put forward by the king]. Now [the arrow has been] turned to the political parties. Now they should form the government. That is extremely important.” She also mentioned of American ambassador’s consultations with Indian foreign secretary Shyam Sharan.
Pic by Tomas van Houtryve via The New York Times
Let me return to the Nepal coverage on American media. Many of the major newspapers including Chicago Tribune are carrying the reports by international news agencies like Associated Press. Even local papers like Los Angeles Daily news and regional papers like Milwaukee Journal Sentinel are giving significant space to the political development in Nepal. According to many whom I talked to about the Nepal coverage in US media, this is the first time that Nepal has got so much attention. An editor with the LA Daily News told me that the paper generally covers nothing about Nepal but this time around the situaition there is getting worse.
Apart from the newspapers, electronic media like CNN (the American edition), National Public Radio are also giving significant time for Nepali politics.
Filed under: Wagle Street Journal
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32 Responses to “Reading Nepal in American Media”
rp, on April 23rd, 2006 at 12:38 pm Said:
And did you notice the name of our capital city is spelled wrong?
BTW, latest Newsweek report said it well -
But can the Maoists be trusted? The fear is that they have made a tactical accommodation with the democratic parties and will sweep them aside and install a one-party dictatorship at the first opportunity. History is replete with examples of “bourgeois” parties that cooperated with their Leninist or Maoist counterparts only to be swallowed by a proletarian revolution. Unlike the mainstream parties—whose reformist ideas focus on bread-and-butter issues like jobs and education—the Maoists remain fixated on class warfare and radical redistribution. Even if we grant that the Maoist leadership has changed and recognizes that it cannot yet launch a revolution, the cadres will find compromise hard to swallow. A rift in the Maoist movement could create radical factions.
Anyone who thinks Moists are coming to save us is fooling oneself. They are nothing but another aspiring autocratic bunch.
Chankhe, on April 23rd, 2006 at 12:45 pm Said:
Hope, Dinesh’s journey to USA remained very fruitful. Now, I want to see Mr. Umesh Shresth, another Nepali blogger from Mysansar.com, to visit the United Staes next time. He is an another real hero journalist covering up to date live information from Nepal. If the US Ambassador Mr. Moriarty or any other embassy staffs are viewing this web, please consider him in the next similar gesture of USA-Nepal friendship.
subs (sydney), on April 23rd, 2006 at 12:53 pm Said:
The reasons why SPA has problems to go ahead with formation of New Government.
1. They have already signed 12 point understanding with Maoist which says SPA have to fight for unconditional contitutional assembly, in return maoist will accept multi-party democracy.
2. SPA will have difficult to find consesus candidate for PM. and ultimately that can break up SPA.
3. People have been killed and injured which means if SPA goes in government, then it will show the people that they are power hungry.
4. If SPA builds government, there will be still very less or not support at all from RNA, because RNA has been hold up by palace for a long time, and RNA been trained in a way that to respect king as a god.
5. There are no current articles in a constitution that says SPA government can call for CA with out parliament, even if they go for it, then king have the right to reject it.
6. Finally, people in general have been suffering from maoist, king and political forces for a long time and they want way out, thats why people want to fight for job done once and for all.
7. There is no trust between king and people, king and political forces and maoist, which make hard to SPA to run the country.
8. There is 127 article which can give supreme power to king to sack anyone at anytime.
9. Therefore, SPA cannot deliver any promises to people and maoist, which have promised, that eventually make them hard to grab the government at this situation.
However, if SPA donot come up with any strong agenda, then king won’t give up his throne easily, the fight will last long, and there comes win and loose situation. If SPA takes this oppertunity, then maoist will take their battle as usual, there will be less likely next compromise. The general election will be less likely go ahead causing same old war like situation. Finally SPA will loose faith to people and they will break up, ultimately king will grab the power again, people will be tired of fighting everytime when something goes wrong in the country and total monarchy will prevail.
Due to above mentioned reasons, the situation is not favourable for SPA to go ahead for government.
So, to solve the problem,1. SPA should talk to the king before making goverment if he is willing to give chance for CA. If not, then SPA have to hold general election , win major seats in parliament and then call for CA, which will be too late for maoist i guess.
2. second solution is just keep fighting until the end and finish the bloody war and make king to declare reinstatement of parliament or call CA., giving chance to king just to say im still nepalese ceremonial king.Therefore, first solution, seems longer to achieve but there is less blood shed. Second solution can be achieved quickly but more blood shed.
Finally, god bless all the nepalese who are fighting for freedom that they are born with.
” you can fool some people sometime but you cannot fool all the people all the time treet Journal, American Edition