Saturday, February 04, 2006

German Journalist Lena Brochhagen Inquires


Hi Lena. Thanks for the reach out. And I wish you all the best with your article. The coverage you provide will be a boost to the democracy movement in Nepal.

How do you consider the media situation in Nepal?

Nepal is one of the 10 most gagged countries on the planet right now, and has been for over a year. The regime has been busy redefining the very concept of free speech, just as it claims also to be for democracy. The virus has mutated.

Does the government often monitor and threaten bloggers?

The government has been more concerned about FM radio stations and their news broadcasts because those reach the common people in much larger numbers. They also clamp down on print journalists much. Journalists who have been accused of sympathizing with the Maoists have been subjected to the worst possible physical and mental abuses.

I am sure they monitor bloggers. It is not always the state apparatus making an obvious presence. Sometimes they use hired goons, locally known as Mandales.

I work closely with a pioneer blogger Umesh Shrestha. He once got beat up out in an open street by a group of Mandales. Recently he has received death threats. (Blogger Receives Death Threat, Bloggers Form Union)

How do you generally consider the role bloggers have in a country like Nepal?

Bloggers have played a major role in connecting the Nepali diaspora spread across the world to the happenings in Nepal. When the coup happened on February 1, 2005, and a state of emergency was imposed for the next three months, for a week there was a telecommunications blackout, bloggers were some of our only sources of detailed news on the ground. It helped that they were off the radar. People in power at the time did not even know what blogs were. The top guy for information technology was asked if he knew what a blog was, and he mistook it for email. I am sure that has changed by now.

A few mainstream news organizations do have online portals: NepalNews, Kantipur, Himal Khabar. But bloggers provide details that mainstream journalists tend to skip. Mero Sansar has provided great video clips of street demonstrations. Considering it is so easy to do, I am surprised not more people have done the same. It is less about resources and technical possibilities, and more about a shift in attitude, mental paradigms.

How do you get information on Nepal living in the U.S.?

It has been quite easy. My blog has links to a ton of news sources. I also pick up the phone and call people up, mostly to hold political discussions with the top leaders in Nepal. But right now most of them have been arrested, their phones disconnected. I also talk for family and friends. I also stay in touch with Nepalis in the US who stay connected to the country in their many ways.

I see my blog as hard core political work. This is not journalism. (Not Journalism But Politics At The Speed Of Thought)

How would you like to change Nepal?

For now I would like to contribute to the democracy movement in Nepal the best I can. This is like 1776 for Nepal. I have been putting this out: Proposed Republican Constitution 2006.


Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 13:29:50 +0100 (MET) From: "Lena Brochhagen"
To: paramendra@yahoo.com
Subject: Blogging in Nepal

Dear Mr. Bhagat,

I am a free journalist for the German daily newpaper "Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger" (www.ksta.de). I am writing a weekly report on blogs (see one of the articles at http://www.ksta.de/html/artikel/1137402827918.shtml). For this week´s article, I would like to report about the situation of bloggers in Nepal. I would grealty appreciate if you could answer my questions.

How do you consider the media situation in Nepal?

Does the government often monitor and threaten bloggers?

How do you generally consider the role bloggers have in a country like Nepal?

How do you get information on Nepal living in the U.S.?

How would you like to change Nepal?

I would greatly appreciate if you anwer my email or call me under 0049/____/_____ or 0049/____/_______. I think that the beginning of february is a good time to raise the awareness for the situation in nepal - roughly one year after King Gyanendra took over more power. Thus I would like to write the article today or tomorrow, so it would be great if you could reply quickly.

Best wishes,

Lena Brochhagen

Cologne
Germany
www.ksta.de

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