Unholy Alliance of Media Owners in Nepal against Media Workers

By Harsha Man Maharjan

On 11 June 2007, I was surprised to see Nepali daily Kantipur in eight pages only. Its sisterly paper The Kathmandu Post, was in black & white. The kantipur publication shrouded a big incident in the publication in the name of technical problem.
Next both newspapers had news on their management letting All Nepal Communication, Press and Publications Workers' Association (ANCPPWA) to open its unit in the publication.

Actually slim Kantipur and B/W The Kathmandu Post are the result of ANCPPWA's pressure to let them open it's unit in the publication.

Now similar issue has cropped on in the Kamana Prakashan. This prakashan out sources Customers Solution Pvt Limited to hawk its publications. Now these hawkers affialiated to ANCPPWA wants to open a unit in the Kamana Prakashan. Pushkar Lal of the Kamana Prakashan denied their rights and closed the publication for few days. He blames the agitating hawkers for doing politics in the Prakashan and diluting so called independent media house.

In a discussion program aired by Nepal FM on 21 June 2007, Ramesh Badal opined that the hawkers have rights to open the unit and the Kamana Prakhasan must protect its workers. He even informed that Nepali media houses are exploiting media workers.

Today Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post have written editorials and news on the issue in favour of the the Kamana Prakashan. Even Nepali daily, Himalaya Times has wrote news in support of the Kamana Prakashan. They quote Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) and political parties and blame the whole action as the interference in the prakashan.

The Kantipur publication is showing sympathy to the Kamana Prakashan on the issue as both are experiencing the same. But on the issue of media concentration in Nepal the Kamana Prakhan opposed the Kantipur Publication.


Links on ANCPPWA in Kantipur Publication:
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=112533
http://www.hamroblog.com/?p=455
http://www.hamroblog.com/?p=453
http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=20822

Links on ANCPPWA in Kamana Prakashan:
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?nid=113322
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=113338