mediaharsha

By Sage Radachowsky and Harsha Man Maharjan Sage Radachowsky of Boston, USA created the website, INSN and manages the technical aspects, as well as doing a lot of the editorial work and some original reporting. Here is an unedited interview Harsha: Hope. INSN got new life after hiatus of few months? Sage: I think the change in the political situation may be causing renewed interest in INSN activity, including the website. Perhaps the lull in the process has been broken, with the CPN (M) pulling out of the government.In my personal life, I have been focusing on getting my life in order, and doing my carpentry. I have been dealing with personal life issues, which took all my time, and I could not continue spending time on the website. There were several other people helping greatly with the website, but not all of the time. There was also nobody coming forward to be a Nepali editor, and because I am not fluent, I could not edit or approve articles in Nepali.There will be an INSN meetin...

By Harsha Man Maharjan On 18 September 2007 CPN (Maoist) quit the government. On the same day people saw a sample issue of daily Janadisha which supports CPN(Maoist). The sample issue was supposed to be free. But bookshop owner asked me Rs. 5. He told me that it was for transportation he used to get papers. I gave him the money. In the place it has written 7. This daily was found in market until the government declared state of emergency on 26 Novemnber 2001. Journalists related The Janadesh Weekly, the Janadisha Daily and also the Disabodh Monthly etc supporting CPN(Maoist) were imprisoned. Human rights organizations claim that its editor Krishan Sen was killed in police custody. Now Govinda Acharya is its editor. This sample issue contains vacancies for reporters at Kathmandu and other districts. It is supposed to come on this week. Hope this paper will go for peaceful movement and dialogue. links on Krishna Sen and Janadisha http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18313.htm http:/...

By Harsha Man Maharjan On 16 september I got chance to watch Robert Greenwald‘s documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism. So far as I know this documentary is unavailable in Nepali market. Michael Moore’s documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11 that came in same year, 2004, is easy to find in different video parlors here. I must thank Saphala for providing me the documentary. Recently she returned from the US. And she brought it into Nepal. It was BBC TV’s program Talking Movies that informed me about the documentary. I wanted to watch it on the same day. Talking Movies informed me that that the documentary unveils one-sided news of Fox news channel. It opposed Clinton government and supported Bush government. In the documentary, Greenwald and his team have found certain techniques that Fox TV uses like conservative experts. Other way is to dominate and humiliate speakers. I have seen no news and talk host in Nepal who humiliate their speakers. But it is the rule in Fox TV. I...

By Harsha Man Maharjan For few days there is no BBC World service in 103 Mhz. I came to know about this yesterday. After Maoist quit the government I was searching authentic voice of CPN (Maoist). I tuned 103 Mhz in my mobile phone and I was surprised to find Radio Nepal in place of BBC world service. On 19 September 2007 Khagendra Nepali, former BBC Nepali Service Head was the guest lecture in our class. During the interaction he informed us that it might be a technical problem. According to BBC's website BBC Nepal service can be heard through following FM radio: Radio Sagarmatha 102.4 FM in Kathmandu; Radio Kalika 95.2 FM in Bharatpur, Chitwan; Radio Birgunj 99 FM in Birgunj; Radio Annapurna 93.4 FM in Pokhara; Radio Himchuli 92.2 FM in Pokhara; Radio Lumbini 96.8 FM in Manigram; Butwal FM 94.4 in Butwal; Radio Saptakoshi 90 FM in Itahari and Radio Bheri 106.4 FM in Surkhet. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/ws_langs_nepali.shtml

By Harsha Man Maharjan At last INSN is ALIVE. Hope it was a power nap. After many months of hiatus it got life. Congrats INSN. This website played important role after Feb 1 2005 coup. The coup compelled INSN to change its course. It was suppose to focus on foreign relations of Nepal. It is the first website to post Usha Titichhu's photo of army controlling the station of Radio Sagarmatha.on Feb 1 2005. It gave space to post dissenting voices. We still need INSN. There is still long way to go. Pls visit the website and send your comments, articles. It contains articles by Maheswor Shrestha. Thanks to him and team of this website. http://insn.org/?p=4357 http://insn.org/?p=4358

By Harsha Man Maharjan Live ‘exclusive’ of Sagarmatha Television on the occasion of serial bomb blasts in three palaces of Kathmandu on 02 August 2007 reminded me of the title of Kevin William’s book Get Me Murder a Day. This book presents history of mass communication in Britain.“Get Me a Murder a Day: the Northcliffe Revolution and the Rise of the Popular Press” is the title of its chapter 3. This chapter tells how sensational newspaper and magazine started in late 19th century and early 20th century in Britain. Like print media in Britain at that time, Sagarmatha TV presented the bomb blast incident in sensational way. It showed raw footage of blast at Tripureshow that was captured just few minutes after the blast. That footage was terrifying. People were thrown here and there. There was a charred (?) person who seemed to be killed at the spot. Sagarmatha TV telecasted this unedited footage naming it a rare footage which only the TV channel had. This is the first incident that Saga...

By Harsha Man Maharjan Today I visited Bhrikuti Pustak tatha Masalanda Bhandar, a book shop near Ratna Rajya Campus at Kathmandu. I bought few books for Martin Chautari Media Documentation Centre. There I saw Douglas Kellner 's Media Spectacle. I asked its price. I had already bought it from Mandala Book Point on Nepalese Rs. 1904 few days ago. Actually my interest was to know the price of the book. I know this shop keeps high rate for foreign books. What they do is check internet and put the price accordingly. Could you believe the price a guy in Bhrikuti told me ? It is Nepali Rs. 2975. I had discussed about this issue with Anjan Shrestha, owner of Educational Book House, few months before. He was aware of Bhrikuti's behaviour. He told me that generally his rule is to put price according to what he has paid for books. That means Bhrikuti is placing high price for foreign books. It is unfair. If you don't believe about this, please check price of a foreign (not indian) pub...