Reuters covers Nepali blogs: Nepali reporters take democracy fight to cyberspace
Reuters' Terry Friel has an excellent article today about blogs out of Nepal, including United We Blog! and Radio Free Nepal.
[via Radio Free Nepal]
- - -
Nepali reporters take democracy fight to cyberspace
Here is a copy of above Reuters report, March 23, 2005, by Terry Friel:
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Journalists in Nepal, one of the world's poorest and most backward nations, are going hi-tech to sidestep tight censorship imposed after last month's royal coup.
Outspoken Web logs, or blogs, are springing up and being widely quoted and linked to in the "blogosphere" -- the mushrooming cyberworld rapidly establishing a place for itself as an alternative source of news and information.
"I feel that our very own survival, intellectually and mentally, depends on freedom," says Dinesh Wagle, a newspaper journalist who runs United We Blog! (www.blog.com.np).
"I don't want to live like a dead soul. So these days I am blogging for a peaceful and democratic Nepal," he told Reuters in an email interview.
King Gyanendra seized power on Feb. 1, arresting government and political leaders, rights activists and journalists.
He also banned media criticism of his move, which he said was aimed at ending a nine-year Maoist revolt that has killed 11,000 people and shattered the tourism and aid-dependent economy.
But United We Blog! and another popular blog, the anonymous Radio Free Nepal (http://freenepal.blogspot.com), publish interviews with arrested political leaders and news about anti-king protests that the mainstream media cannot.
"I am blogging the truth as I see and as I think," says the print journalist running Radio Free Nepal.
"I am telling my audience there are pro-monarch rallies and the true story behind them (compulsory participation) ... and also that there is not much participation in anti-monarch rallies, along with my feelings that there should be democracy and the king should step down," he told Reuters by email.
HITS SKYROCKET
Wagle, who coordinates the art and style section for Kantipur, the leading Nepali language daily, is a former information technology reporter.
He has his own Web site (www.wagle.com.np) and along with several friends and colleagues has been blogging since 2003. But United We Blog! turned political after Gyanendra seized power.
"In the beginning, the UWB team was quite anxious about blogging political matter. But I was determined to blog politics and everyone was convinced."
Hits have rocketed: from fewer than 13,000 in January to 65,000 in February and more than 80,000 in the first three weeks of March.
Nepal is one of the world's poorest 10 countries and few people have computers. Fewer still know about blogs.
Instead, United We Blog! and Radio Free Nepal are aimed at highlighting the country's plights to the outside world.
The postings have been picked up, linked to and referred to by scores of other blogs around the world, including the Online Journalism Review (www.ojr.org) published by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication.
"Through blogs, I want the world to know Nepal and talk about it," says the Radio Free Nepal blogger. "That way, there will be more pressure on the king to restore democracy -- that's what I hope to gain -- democracy."
Worried about being arrested, the Radio Free Nepal blogger emails his posts to a friend overseas, who then puts them on the blog. Wagle and his partners, on the other hand, operate openly.
"I am not blogging against anyone, but for peace, democracy and freedom," he says. "Even the king has vowed to restore democracy ... within three years. I am just helping him."
When Gyanendra took power, he shut down Internet service providers and all phone lines for a week. But the communications blackout played havoc with the economy -- airlines and other business couldn't operate properly, credit cards could not be used and some ATMs would not work -- and lines were restored.
However, some Internet sites remain blocked, including Maoist sites and news sites www.newslookmag.com and www.nepalipost.com.
Wagle is not too worried about his blog.
"Our government is relatively new to the Internet and they don't have high-tech surveillance capability like in China. I don't think, but I'm not sure, they are even reading us."
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=7980149&type=topNews
[via Radio Free Nepal]
- - -
Nepali reporters take democracy fight to cyberspace
Here is a copy of above Reuters report, March 23, 2005, by Terry Friel:
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Journalists in Nepal, one of the world's poorest and most backward nations, are going hi-tech to sidestep tight censorship imposed after last month's royal coup.
Outspoken Web logs, or blogs, are springing up and being widely quoted and linked to in the "blogosphere" -- the mushrooming cyberworld rapidly establishing a place for itself as an alternative source of news and information.
"I feel that our very own survival, intellectually and mentally, depends on freedom," says Dinesh Wagle, a newspaper journalist who runs United We Blog! (www.blog.com.np).
"I don't want to live like a dead soul. So these days I am blogging for a peaceful and democratic Nepal," he told Reuters in an email interview.
King Gyanendra seized power on Feb. 1, arresting government and political leaders, rights activists and journalists.
He also banned media criticism of his move, which he said was aimed at ending a nine-year Maoist revolt that has killed 11,000 people and shattered the tourism and aid-dependent economy.
But United We Blog! and another popular blog, the anonymous Radio Free Nepal (http://freenepal.blogspot.com), publish interviews with arrested political leaders and news about anti-king protests that the mainstream media cannot.
"I am blogging the truth as I see and as I think," says the print journalist running Radio Free Nepal.
"I am telling my audience there are pro-monarch rallies and the true story behind them (compulsory participation) ... and also that there is not much participation in anti-monarch rallies, along with my feelings that there should be democracy and the king should step down," he told Reuters by email.
HITS SKYROCKET
Wagle, who coordinates the art and style section for Kantipur, the leading Nepali language daily, is a former information technology reporter.
He has his own Web site (www.wagle.com.np) and along with several friends and colleagues has been blogging since 2003. But United We Blog! turned political after Gyanendra seized power.
"In the beginning, the UWB team was quite anxious about blogging political matter. But I was determined to blog politics and everyone was convinced."
Hits have rocketed: from fewer than 13,000 in January to 65,000 in February and more than 80,000 in the first three weeks of March.
Nepal is one of the world's poorest 10 countries and few people have computers. Fewer still know about blogs.
Instead, United We Blog! and Radio Free Nepal are aimed at highlighting the country's plights to the outside world.
The postings have been picked up, linked to and referred to by scores of other blogs around the world, including the Online Journalism Review (www.ojr.org) published by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication.
"Through blogs, I want the world to know Nepal and talk about it," says the Radio Free Nepal blogger. "That way, there will be more pressure on the king to restore democracy -- that's what I hope to gain -- democracy."
Worried about being arrested, the Radio Free Nepal blogger emails his posts to a friend overseas, who then puts them on the blog. Wagle and his partners, on the other hand, operate openly.
"I am not blogging against anyone, but for peace, democracy and freedom," he says. "Even the king has vowed to restore democracy ... within three years. I am just helping him."
When Gyanendra took power, he shut down Internet service providers and all phone lines for a week. But the communications blackout played havoc with the economy -- airlines and other business couldn't operate properly, credit cards could not be used and some ATMs would not work -- and lines were restored.
However, some Internet sites remain blocked, including Maoist sites and news sites www.newslookmag.com and www.nepalipost.com.
Wagle is not too worried about his blog.
"Our government is relatively new to the Internet and they don't have high-tech surveillance capability like in China. I don't think, but I'm not sure, they are even reading us."
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=7980149&type=topNews
posted by Ingrid J. Jones at Thursday, March 24, 2005
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