10 August 2008

Mainstream Nepali Media Mum on Kantipur Ownership Row.

By Harsha Man Maharjan

Issues of media rarely become news. That’s why many Nepalese could not believe what they heard and read on 7 August 2008. The news was about break-up between Sirohiya and Gywali family, owners of Kantipur Publications and Kantipur FM. It also informed that Gywali has left Kantipur Publications and Kantipur FM.

I came to know about this issue on 7 July 2008 from Sanghu with byline of Deepak Adhikari and and it has being doing following-up from that day without bylines. My friend from Kantipur informed that Sambodhan too did coverage on the issue. Few Nepali blogs also covered on the issue.

At last the news came in host media on 7 August 2008.

On 7 August, both Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post published news on change in ownership of Kantipur Publications and Kantipur FM. Now Gywali family is out from these publications and FM. Capatain Rameshwar Thapa has entered the team.

Many people believe that many journalists will leave Kantipur and TKP to join new publications by Gywali family.

Why this issue was not news for other mainstream media? Why did they not carry this issue though they had knowledge of it? We speak of plural media. Only due to this we come to know about activities of rival media but Nepalese mainstream media kept mum on the issue. Only few weeklies dared to do this.

Does it imply that they have unwritten alliance not to divulge wrong activities inside these media houses?

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