First and foremost, the point made about predominance of politics, by and large, still holds true, though the media content has started to diversify. Politics has dominated and other socio-economic issues, including development, have largely been relegated to secondary status.
There is also some truth about quality and even credibility. When the coverage is there, mostly they are event/activity based [the present flavor is Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)] and are short of quality. Most of the reporting is either overtly critical or flatteringly positive. Research and analysis is inadequate.
Of course, the discourse on development or rather transformation of society cannot be separated from larger discourse that goes on in society, not least politics. And, hence, discourse on development—some call it discourse on poverty—cannot be held in isolation. Be that as it may, Nepali media has done little to promote genuine discourse on development.
Many say that this is obvious and understandable given the state the country is in at present. A journalist friend of mine argued that given the current turmoil and instability the country is in, it is obvious that important issues including development were being sidelined. Hence, one—in this case, me—should not be surprised that the media too has sidelined them since, according to him, the media reflected the society within which it operated. Other journalists tell us that other stuff does not still sell as well as politics and they have little choice left.
The media is largely ignoring a sector that has significant presence and an actor whose actions and decisions has direct impact on the lives of millions of Nepalis.
While these arguments are reasonable, the fact remains that the media is largely ignoring a sector that has significant presence and an actor whose actions and decisions has direct impact on the lives of millions of Nepalis. As per the Social Welfare Council figures, there are 21,285 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the country. If that is divided by the number of wards, there will be one NGO at least in every two wards. If INGOs were to be divided in a similar fashion, each district will have roughly three INGOs. I/NGOs work on almost every sector, area and issue that matter to the people and touch their lives everyday. When warranted, they have reached areas and communities where the government has failed to (such as during the conflict). If we are to see it from the economic perspective, it is not insignificant here too. Just an example: Members of Association of International NGOs in Nepal (AIN), which comprise less than half of the total INGOs in the country, alone raise and mobilize about Rs 10 billion annually. That might not be much but it is not insignificant either.
We value the media because of its power to set the agenda and shape public opinion on issues that matter to the people. For not just reporting what is obvious but also debating about what should or can be possible. A bureaucrat once shared with me a comment his Singaporean counterpart, who was on a visit to Nepal, made about the Nepali media vis-a-vis its coverage of development. After reading some leading national broadsheets, he had reportedly said that the day the Nepali media starts giving as much space to development that it is giving to politics, the country would start developing in the real sense.
Overall, our progress on MDGs might be satisfactory, but even according to the latest government figures, there are still 7 million people who are extremely poor in this country (earning less than Rs 32 a day per person), not to talk of millions of others who are above the poverty line but still find it hard to make ends meet. To them nothing can matter more than getting themselves out of grinding poverty. If such is the situation, does it not become the responsibility of the media to put development on their agenda and hold/facilitate genuine discourse on fighting poverty? And should responsible media discount development or what is being done to help people fight poverty?
There could be several other reasons too for inadequate discourse on development in the media. Despite all that, what is certain is that one of the best ways the media can fulfill its duty toward millions of poor and marginalized people of this country is by holding and promoting genuine discourse on development, appraising it and giving it the space it deserves.
Writer works with Association of International Non-Governmental Organizations in Nepal (AIN) as a part-time Communication Officer. The opinion expressed in this article is personal
spacenwater@gmail.com
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