Online Media in Nepal: A profile study
By: Shekhar KC
Bachelor in Media Studies, Kathmandu University
Historical Context of Online Media:
World History of Online media
· 1990, Tim Berners-Lee created the internet. His invention changed the scenario as the WWW offered greater capacity, flexibility, immediacy, permanence and interactivity.
· Chicago Tribune of USA began its online venture, the Chicago Online, in 1992. This is the considered the first online media.
· On January 19, 1995, the first newspaper to regularly publish on the Web, the Palo Alto Weekly in California, begins twice-weekly postings of its full content.
History of Online media in Nepal:
· Before June 1994 Nepal Academy for Science and Technology (NAST) and Nepal Forum for Environmental Journalists had used email services as trials.
· On July 15, 1995 Mercantile started providing full online access operating via a lease line through Nepal Telecom with its backbone in Singapore
· Himal Media started archiving its publication, Himal South Asia, in its own website himalsouthasia.com in 1997.
· Mercantile established South-Asia.com in 1998 when it archived seven daily and weekly newspapers. 1999, it moved to NepalNews.com paving ways for more newspapers
· www.newslookmag.com was established on 4 July 1999 as the first Online journal by Dharma Adhikary which provided link to largest collection of news of nepali events and public affairs. Later in 2005 it was re-established as www.nepalmonitor.com. The reason was the ban imposed by Royal Takeover on 2005 on which Fomer King Gyanendra was responsible.
· Kantipur Publications established KantipurOnline.com on April 13, 2000. At initial phase, KantipurOnline.com
· On February 2000 kantipuronline.com was established.
· On 12 September 2001 www.nepalipost.com was established.
· On December 15, 2002 Kamana Group of Publications began newsofnepal.com. Lately all broadsheet dailies along with weeklies and smaller media are available online.
· The first ever Blog in Nepal is United We Blog (blog.com.np), was established on October 1, 2004.
· Other popular pioneer websites were samudaya.org (http://www.samudaya.org/) peacejournalism.com (http://www.peacejournalism.com/), NepalinewsUSA.com(http://www.nepalinewsusa.com/) citizen journalism(http://www.cjnepal.org/) Canada Nepal Vision(http://www.canevision.net/) dcnepal.com(http://www.dcnepal.com/) etc
The study corpus of my research are three websites listed as follows:
Now let me put light on the different aspects of these websites and add some comparative views.
Websites Foundation:
Nepal Monitor renowned as "Nepal’s first online news magazine “was originally established as www.newslookmag.com in 1999 A.D from USA by a student named Dharma Adhikary as a part of his Online Journalism class in the Missouri School of Journalism at Columbia.
Reuters.com is currently owned by Thomson Reuters but before 2008 it was owned by Reuters Group PLC which used to focus its information on Financial Market Data. Originally Reuters was established in October 1851 whose popularity rose later due to its act of publishing scoop news abroad. Today almost every major news outlet in the world now subscribes to Reuters’ services, which operates in over 200 cities in 94 countries in about 20 languages. — In July 1999, TIBCO Software completed an IPO on NASDAQ; Reuters retains a substantial proportion of the shares. Reuters announced, in early 2000, initiatives designed to migrate core business to an internet-based model.
The foundation of online venture of Nepali times dates back to some 10 years ago tentatively in 2001. According to the web master of the nepalitimes.com Rubeena Mahato, the websites contains not only the content of it’s printed version but also it publishes longer and full-fledged form of media content with associated links.
Objective
As stated earlier, Nepal Monitor was established as an individual project to fulfill the credit of online journalism class by a student in Missouri School of Journalism in Colombo. Besides that Dharma Adhikary, the founder of this website shares that the website was founded to make it "one stop center" for all the information regarding public affairs and analytical news-views of Nepal for Nepalese diaspora staying in America. "It was somehow fun-fun task"- whispers Dr Adhikary whose says that those day of starting a website make him feel nostalgic about his student life in USA.
Whatever the objective Nepal Monitor was founded to serves before 2000, Today according to Dr. Adhikary The online journal is aimed at professionals (journalists and media entrepreneurs, academicians, development and cultural workers, lawyers, policymakers, administrators, etc)— people with expertise. It serves as a forum for the sharing of their expert views among themselves and among the wider public.
In near future, Nepal Monitor will be institutionally mobilized as the important information dissemination mechanism of his recently established (2009) organization "Media Foundation" which focuses on media and public affairs and will cover any issues of significance to the public, whether they are governmental, community-related or entrepreneurial. Reuters.com is a multi-national news agency by Thompson Reuter which runs via global network communication.
The primary objective of Nepali times.com is other than just digital archiving of it’s printed version. According to Rubeena Mahato of Nepali times, the media house receives numerious articles with assisting photographs and audio-visual material which is difficult to fit in the paper version so the online outlet has provided the readers with full version of the text with associated links, audio-visual material and added informations which can’t be included in the paper version. Blogs of Nepali Times Staff is another feature of the online venture of the nepali times.
Types of content: News (entertainment, political, social,), advertisement, audio-visual content, features (news and photo), horoscope, currency, movies and events details, flight details
Nepal Monitor publishes annual report of multi-national organization like Asian Development Bank and UNESCO which expresses serious concerns for the current affairs of Nepal. For example recent report published by Committee for protecting Journalist (CPJ‘s) 2010 Impunity Index shows that in Nepal Seven Murders of media personal were unsolved. Similarly it doesn’t publish entertainment news nor do photos like Nepali Times and Reuters. Follow up stories on media controversies or journalistic attack events and timely interviews with media persons are updated in Nepal Monitor. Its contents are more like semi-academic or research based texts which are eligible to get published in journals.
Nepal Monitors provides links to the important ministries, film industries offices, governmental and non-governmental institutions, colleges and universities of Nepal etc. It’s more like a spot from where people access becomes wider and more systematic.
Nepali times published politico-analytical article by hiring experts and columnist throughout the national and international boundaries as well depending on the area covered by the article. Its contents are of more diversified in regard to the feature and photo-stories related to socio-economic, political, international, and national and opinion poll surveys. Also its vacancy spot increases its demand among the readers. The staff writers are allotted with their personal blogging and the editorials have a profound impact on the people as well. Moreover, the paper covers lifestyle, health and environmental issues along with the international relations and public affair. Its outreach has extended up to a page in face book.
Ownership:
Nepali times is owned by Himal Media Pvt. Limited, a private media institution which publishes Himal, Wave and Himal Khabar Patrika simultaneously. Nepali times.com is
Nepal Monitor is an individual venture by Dr. Dharma Adhikari with the information input from other journalists as well.
Reuters On 15 May 2007, Canada’s The Thomson Corporation merged with Reuters in a deal valued at US $17.2 billion. Thomson now controls about 53 percent of the new company, named Thomson Reuters. The chief of Thomson Reuters is Tom Glocer, the former head of Reuters. TIBCO Software
Sources of revenues
Nepal Monitor.com does not have any external sources of revenue apart from Dr. Dharma Adhikari’s personal contributions for the Annual registration of the site’s domain name which accounts for $10.00 per year. The lack of manpower has created an impediment to the revenue process as there are unable to include the advertisements. Hence, its contributors are freely volunteering in the website.
Nepali Times.com is a sefl-sustained online websites because according to Mahato of Nepali times, the websites receives revenue from advertisement placed there which has nothing to do with placement in the paper version.
Reuters In 1988, Reuters formed a joint-venture with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to build an automated futures trading system named "Globex" at a cost of over USD$100 million
Advertisements and commercials, Financing by donors, Investment from share holders
Legal status
Nepal monitor.com is registered from Los Angeles (LA). Albeit, the domain name is registered from abroad, its web space is embedded in movable type.
Nepali times.com is registered in Nepal. Reuters.com is registered in it’s headquarter city London.
Organogram and staffing-
Nepal Monitor.com has a 6 – member co-editorial team who contribute their analytical and perspective articles irregularly. Articles are published on a rolling basis. The journal is published and edited by Dharma Adhikari. Co-editor is Chiranjibi Kafle. The core team of volunteers includes Krishna Sharma (staff writer), Babu Ram Fyuba (research), Prabhat Kiran (research) and Chhabi Adhikari (IT).
Nepali Times has mobilized a full time staff for uploading content on web apart from other technical stuffs. Rubeena Mahato of Nepali times states that she has been uploading content on web in coordination with other editorial members from paper versions. Online section of Nepali Times receives content via email and then it is uploaded by a online staff.
Mechanism for gate-keeping: filtering, censoring, exaggeration
Nepal Monitor manages its website published content through sequential process. First the topic for writings is suggested to the contributors then it is accessed in terms of viability and then drafted and edited thoroughly. At times articles are rejected when the sufficient facts and figures along with proper citations are missing.
The Nepal Times organizes weekly- board meeting before setting out in print and online. A staff is mobilized full- time for updating the content. The editors of the print version participate in the online- editing process as well.
Reuters.com is an international media house which mobilizes its team members in the various parts of the world along with collaborating with the local media.
Provision for feedback: (Letters to the editor, commentary box, email, telephone; no. of readers and website visitors)
Nepal Monitor has its commentary box for immediate feedback. Also, Dr.Adhikary organizes a weekly discussion program on its published content and serious issues. He often entertains telephone feedback and queries from the readers.
The Nepali times.com has the letter to the editor along with email feedback services. One of the noticeable feedback mechanisms is its filtering process of comments. Nepali times receive comments national and foreign readers from different corners of the world but all comments are not accepted. According to Mahato of Nepali times, the comments which projects racism, individual anger or against nationalism etc are not accepted.
Target audience:
Nepal Monitors targets professionals (journalists and media entrepreneurs, academicians, development and cultural workers, lawyers, policymakers, administrators, etc) — people with expertise. And also the aspiring journalist who want have real craze in this journalism sector.
Reuters: International financial business organizations, citizens, institutions, Foreign market throughout the world.
Nepali times target diplomatic communities, foreign readers, and Nepali diasporas.
Appraisal of the content:
1. Geographical coverage: Nepali Times.com focuses more on the national news then on the international issues. Nepalese living on Diaspora are also highlighted.
Nepal Monitor.com is more specific in terms of its coverage as it only deals with the media-related and academic and scholarly articles.
Reuters.com being an international media house believes in the diversification and the world-wide dissemination of information relating to various genres.
2. Diversity of issues: Nepali Times.com highlights the national, cultural, environmental, health, sports, and travel and Nepalese lifestyles.
Nepal Monitor.com highlights the peace-building, serious and developmental issues related to the nation by giving a global perspective.
Reuters.com has a vast coverage in terms of its content, scope and nature of the issues. The burning global issues are highlighted. The showbiz and entertainment section is explored at great depth.
Online Content and Standardization
Lecture By Nirmala Mani Adhikary
Text by: Shekhar KC
Date: 22 April, 2011
Nirmala sir asked if we could give presentation on Online media. Only few students replied that they were ready but Sir considering the situation where students have lack of preparation, the presentation was postponed till next week i.e April 29, 2011.
Sir will recite some portion of text regarding the cyber journalism?
Online means connected to internet. Only few people had access to net in Nepal i.e 7.93 percent according to NTA. In february 2010 it was 2.33. Most of the people had access to internet through GPRS –1.9 , adsl-1,81.000,
Above data show the internet using population data of Nepal. Optical Fibre technology has higher data transfer rate than copper wire.
Internet’s prospect for advertisement revenue has yet to be assessed. Main stream news site is news-portal.
Do you know difference between Ftp and fttp?
To upload the content in website, it should be opened in fttp while we visit the site in ftp.
Hyperlinks are also called knowledge links when the important words are emphasized as a link to some other website which provide information about that word.
interactivity: its different from interactivity. opinion poll is also interactive content. There are examples of interactive films as well.
customization: organizing online media content in particular pattern. It helps in making websites user-friendly.
what is the difference between print media story and online media story?
sources are same, we check the content in the same way, we target the same audience. in internet, a readability of story is inversely proportional to its length.
The browser should inform about the most important websites
After that teacher went on dictating the book and we listened calmly.
How citizen journalism flourished?
As in television, the script were just same as writer for radio. later writing for tv was made different. similarly in online as well , the content written for print was uploaded in web but nowadays online media has different type of text written in different structures.
In Inseconline.com, the member used to have access to different news and places. When insec published such news, other websites used to published the news of inseconline without acknowledgements. Later the visitor of insec increased when the content of the insec was acknowledged.
What should online reader expect from online content?
No secrets for reader, hyperlinks in appropriate places. When you are writing for web, you are writing the history of international audience. The lead in the story should nail the reader or catch the attaention instantly. structure of the webstory should be in inverted pyramid.
The nature of reader in case of online than tradition mass communicator. due to interactivity and other strength of online, we should not package the story in such that limited story are put there.
Title: the writing is non-linear:
95 percent web news site may not fulfill the criteria. In online sites, internet writing should appear the reader with “don’t read do” principles.
Why the story In internet are non-linear? break the story, good presentation, readers don’t want to read what you have put, let the reader to decide what to read. Basically hyperlink and customization help in promoting that content non-linear.
three layers of information are 1) first hand information and the most important information should be put first, 2) ,
readers should navigate from the existing to new page, there should be safe in and out.
why structure of the Online story is everything?
Note: Read the article Standardization of Nirmal sir?
Two task to be done:
1. Writing for the web 418-439
2. read the article
Television News & Team Work Culture
Lecture by: Prem Luitel
Television Journalism
Date: 20 April 2011
Two book were suggested as references:
- Practicing Global journalism by John Herbert
- The television Handbook by Jonathan Bignell and Jeremy Orlebar
What is TV News? (31-33- Practicing Global journalism by John Herbert)
TV news writing is different from Radio News and Print News. It comes with the very specific setup and unique characteristics.
- they addresses as many of the possible viewers question as (who, what, where, when , how ) right in the lead.
- The most significant details go upfront all the important aspects of the story should be divulged right at this start.
- Sentences are written short and to the point
- Paragraphs are kept tight containing no more than 2-5 sentences each.
- The overall tone stays as objective as possible.
News Writers can have an opinion but they just can’t write about each in their news stories.
There are no conclusions. surely you close a news story but you don’t conclude it with a statement of opinion. Let down the facts but let viewers decide.
Jargons and difficult sentences should be avoided.
above characteristics may not apply for news analytical program like Khoj Bhitra ko Khabar and Mission Sambidhan.
* How do events becomes News?
- Frequency: the events that is unfold at the frequent intervals becomes news.
- Threshold: The events had to pass through certain threshold or gatekeeping channels before being recorded at all.
- Unambiguity: clarity should be there
- Meaningfulness: News are made by considering certain group of audience of certain background or level of concern.
- consonance: /the news selector may predict some events and may produce it as news if he finds it news-worthy.
- Unexpectedness: Man biting the dog becomes news rather than dog biting the man.
- Composition: grammatical error free news are expected.
- reference elite nations: The news should have interest of powerful nations like America, Britain and China.
- Reference to Elite People: if Obama speaks about Libya crisis, then it becomes news.
- Reference to Persons: Rather than referring institution, news should contain persons as a reference.
-(Journalist are not specialist but generalist)
- Proximity
- In television you can talk as long as you have visual. Image speaks louder than words. Don’t say what picture show but say what picture don’t hints.
-Avoid sentence fragments. Don’t fragments the sentence to hold the suspense. For the example A council organized a budget session. (here try to include all the information like venue, date etc)
-Note: photocopy the title How TV News differs? It addresses the Unit three chapter- how it differs from print and radio news?
Next Chapter of Unite Three: TV Discourse- analyzing TV language and visual grammar
-Bag Pack Journalist or One-man Journalism?
Another Chapter: Team Work Culture: journalist as a team leader
News Plan: What should be news?decide the topic, news hole of suppose 10 minutes; then cover the event so as to fill the news hole in effective manner. It includes the total of process of news production. How to find the issue? How to capture the issue? how to make it factual ?
How to find issues? Are there any issues which need follow up? Contact permanent source of news like Hanuman Dhoka,Singha durbar, political leaders etc. Put the telephone numbers of authority personal of concerned area. Expected sources are reviewed like newspapers, RSS, Traffic police for the accidents etc.
Prepare for the reporting? essentials tools like camera, micro phone, required cost etc.
*Lunch BreaK*11:51 to 1:00
Sir took out The Kathmandu Post and recited the headline “Hard-pressed Dahal in peace bid”. the new story started with background. But in Television, the core news is given first and the supporting information are given later.
There was a story in the paper where a women of Dharan returned 9.1 million rupees to it’s owner after he found it in the bus she was travelling.
We analyzed the prime time news bulletin of Katipur Television. What we found was something that doesn’t support the Kantipur brand guilty in the market. In both two first consecutive stories, there was no visuals,
suppose we have to prepare a visual plan of one issue “petroleum product lacking”
- gaadi dhakalirako
- apurti mantralayako building
- passesnger gadi ma jhundeko
- bike rider pushing his/her bike
- cycling ko trend
- parking palces empty
- overly loaded vehicles
- black marketing
- interview
- traffic police changes in office hour activities
What may be lead?
- from traffic police’s perspective
- overly loaded vehicles
- over charged taxi fare
- Increase in cycling trend
-impact in traffic blocks-
-impact in personal life of a biker;
-environmentalist perspective
- create contrast and conflict perspective
Prem sir concluded the class with the reminder that we have to prepare the news story for the television. In my mind I thought I would do some important stuffs;
- research on television news coverage
- prepare a news story for television on some fixed issue
- do online research and prepare a presentation with ppt slides
-
Principles and Basics of Television
Text: Shekhar KC
Lecture by : Prem Luitel, NTV
Date: 13 April Wednesday 2011
Venue: BMS room, Dolmc
Prem sir reviewed the students about the last class. we were given assignment about finding different ways of television coverage about a single issue. In the last week there were a series of events like Gokarna Bista, a newly appointed minister attacked on that very day of his appointment, expansion of Jhala Nath Khanal’s cabinet; sir wanted us to find the difference in time allocation; depth of the issue; horizon of the different aspects of the events covered etc. In this class basically we will focus on the principles of Television journalism.
He handed over the programme schedule of Nepal Television where he is professionally involved. He introduced NTV as a general television unlike News24 and Avenues Television which are news channel. NTV operated on the basis of guideline formed by Ministry of communication and information under Nepal Government. It follow Communication Act, Broadcasting Act and also other. The programs of NTV are aimed at promoting good health, development and peace and social harmony at community and national level. To say more such programme should Develop social consciousness and democratic values. They mustn’t leave any adverse impact on healthy relationship with neighboring countries, should go in line with foreign policies. Nepal has also its own foreign policy which is the blend of Pancha sila and UN Charter. It contains co-existency and friendly relationship with all states. Amol,my dear colleague asked about the Nepal’s view on Tibet issues and Anti-China protest. Sir replied that Nepal has adopted One-China policy so Nepal accepts Tibet and Taiwan as a part of China. Rhitik Roshan’s scandle was also discussed regarding the role of media in neighboring countries. Sir also told that NTV being owned by Nepal government might be influenced by the interest of political party in Power. Programme shouldn’t broadcast programme that create terror in the country. It shouldn’t devalue anybody’s cultural values. We added the example of News24 covering the issue of nationality in one of it’s Jaya swabhiman programme.
Sir suggested us to do further research on the topic inorder to draw the conclusion before generalizing things. We as a media students should carryout out systematic study in the concerned topic before establishing certain particular conclusion. Yunus Ansari who operated Television station to fulfill his business motive failed in his media venture.
Television needs tranied profesionals, expensive equipment. It needs a lot of investments.
Prem sir asked if we can produce short documentaries like we did in summer training some 1 year back. he said – “you can use your own simple camera to make it ”. We should have knowledge of different types of Cameras.
In program production various elements to be in consideration are concepts; planning; scripts etc. Live transmission is available through OB Van.
terrestrial system of broadcasting: electronic radiation is transmitted from tower installed in land to the receiver in Land itself. It is relatively affordable than satellite. Terrestrially transmitted channels are for public and freely available whose signal can be received by simple antenna. This technology is useful for low income and remotely habitat people.
Satellite system of broadcasting:
TV jargons need to be understood and learnt by media students. Sir suggested to surf net for accessing such TV jargon.
Information Superhighway & Traditional Mass Communications- Online Media
Lecture By: Asst. Prof Nirmala Mani Adhikary
Date: 8 April 2011 Friday
(the below question is the assignment for Media Studies Fourth year (2007 Batch) to be submitted before deadline April 22, 2011 )
Select any three website at least (one from Nepal; at least one a news portal; at least one in Nepali medium; at least one from USA; at least one owned by independent non-conglomerate non-crossholding owners). Then prepare profile of the websites. The profile must contain following information.
- website foundation
- objective
- types of content
- ownership
- sources of revenues: advertisement payment existing or not;
- legal status- registration, legal provisions for that kind of websites,
- organogram and staffing:
- mechanism for gate-keeping: what kind of moderation: whether there is editorial board;
- provision for feedback
- target audience:
- appraisal of the content
Summary of the class:
A web-2 technology refers to the social networking website where we can enjoy maximum freedom of expression and reaction whole Kantipur and Republica websites are Web 1 technology.
According to our Online mentor Asst. Prof Nirmala Mani Adhikary, in this semester we are repackaging what we learnt earlier. We have studied communication studies, computer foundation, photography, broadcasting and new media, print media. Now, we will deal with what we learnt earlier from online perspectives.
This time we will be supposed to do two assignments. One is already given above. Another will be Practicum. Prepare a blog which should contain various multimedia contents on same issue or subject.
- audio new story in 5 minutes in blog
- photographic content in news story
For the first assignment sir set the Deadline as April 22, 2011. And for the second assignment it will be before three weeks of the final exams that, I guess, will be taken at July August.
Sir shade light on the various aspect of our online media curriculum. Information superhighway is one of that term which we should be familiar with. From infrastructure point of view what should be there to have information superhighway? First there should be vast networks of computers, second is wide accessibility, issues are explored who is producing and consuming information. People should have affording capability to the computers. So economics comes here. A persona may be economically strong but couldn’t have access to computers because he may be staying in remote areas. May be political condition of country may be responsible for distribution of particular types of information to particular group of audience. Politics may be causal factor for such unequal or asymmetrical distribution of the information. 
We have been using internet for so many purposes. Students may be using them for interpersonal communication. It may be used sometimes for group communication like skype or group chats. Sometimes we use it for mass communication like news portal or podcasting.
Intrapersonal communications are also possible in internet. When a user gets engrossed in the computer technology in such a level that he seeks his identity in the virtual world then sometimes it becomes difficult to differentiate between user and medium or let’s say human and computer machine.
Example: if we search King Mahendra we get less links or information but if we search Demi Moore, we get thousands of links or vast array of information’s. That means information’s is not produced symmetrically.
Traditional mass communication: professional communicators are involved; senders convey messages to receivers or message flow is unidirectional; delayed feedback; formal organization setup- registration of the television or radio station; Mass communicators have strict control over the medium; mass communicators are generally identified;
Also, Sir shared us about his interview by one of the associate professors from Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Note: Remaining part of the lecture I couldn’t record due to technological hassles. If there is any error in above note then the mistakes are from the Blogger side not the teacher one.
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