| Username |
Post |
| GP |
Posted
on 10-Oct-01 04:25 AM
MP offers bribe to journalists
KATHMANDU, Oct 9 (PR) – A Nepali Congress lawmaker offered a small bribe to reporters including one from Kantipur, the sister publication of this newspaper, to get his statement published.
NC’s D.B. Lama who had spoken in the Parliament about the issues of the police force being politicized and other discriminatory practices within the force approached Kantipur’s parliament reporter Balaram Baniya just outside the House and offered a Rs. 1,000 note.
Lama told the reporters that "since writing the news about his concern would take a little extra effort, some expenses for tea would be appropriate." The reporter refused the money and told Lama that the publication was already paying him for his work.
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I agree there are some genuine journalists in Kantiput Pub. , but,
I am not 100% sure whether the reporter declined to accept the
bribe not because IT was bribe, but, because it was too small,
and he might have found it a good masala to publish in TKp and
prove TKP a clean organization. DB Lama is probably too
old, to think that 1000 is big money, that he used to take
several years back ( I was surprised to see about 12 ropani single plot
of land purchased by DB Lama and Dhirendra's ADC Mr. Gurung,
purchased jointly). Today, Chiya kharcha to a govt. office peon
is about 4 digit notes. He would have offered more. Well,
You enter to TIA custom on Sunday flight from Japan
see how peoples pay 2,000 yen when the guy ask
for Chiya kharcha from every passenger from Japan on Sunday.
The sunday flight passengers can not clear duty payable
item if they have to pay duty, the officers ask you to come
on next working days. So to avoid hassle next time, they
pay 2,000 yen, i.e. 1300 rupees as chiya kharcha, and is
just 1.5 hr majdoori in Japan. Who cares taht money,
to spend time and taxi kharcha next day. But, its not
those why pay bad, but, its the system that does not
have ways out "solution". It happens same thing with
TKP and Kantipur. I still can manage you to publish
a paid article as a news just the way Lama tried, but,
you have to pay more. So, Kantipur should not pose
that its clean and only DB Lama is a poor guy. Both
of you are trying to pose hero hiding the truth.
GP
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| ashu |
Posted
on 10-Oct-01 08:18 AM
Hi GP-ji,
The Kantipur Publications certainly has its share of ills (discussed at some length here on this site), but, I am not sure, whether I would share your cynicism that they published the news because, well, the money offered was so small.
If we care about the future of Nepal in any way, we have to have start from some modicum of faith on some level that there ARE also good things happening here.
We have to assume, in all fairness and in good faith, that the editors and the reporters printed that story to lay out the truth in public.
The young crop of journalists in Nepal can certainly use more training, I suppose,
but they are also more likely to take risks and report on such things.
I, for one, am glad that the news for printed.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| bip |
Posted
on 10-Oct-01 07:04 PM
<>
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 10-Oct-01 07:54 PM
GPji:
I have my own grievances against Kantipur Publications, but I think these people
are also doing great job lately.
See, this Bokshi (Witches) issue. I read the online issues of Kantipur, and they
have passionately devoted their main news for this abuse, whether the location
of such abuse be Mahottari or a hinterland in Khotang. No other paper in our
history ever thought that making head news out of a condemned lady of remote
village will sell their paper.This is what I consider a pure social service effort.
And Kantipur bravely thought so. It didn't put wrinkled face of Girija, nor the wry
smile of Madhav Nepal in those spaces, but devoted its first page columns to the
old ostracized lady stoned to death in a village. And Kantipur have done this
regularly whether such coverage eclipsed other political issues or not. The
heightened police alert in such issues and increased awareness in populace for
such issue is a welcome thing. If their effort can stop even a single life in the
future from being lapidated in the villages to death, we must sincerely welcome
such effort.
There is another good aspect also. Kantipur Publication is big, but it is certainly
inherently a democratic in spirit. It supported democracy in all cases. It supported
the initiatives of peace in all cases. Let's not forget that now Maoists are in
defensive condition not because of gory army-Maoists struggle, but because of
these peace talks that Deuba pursued.
As long as Kantipur Publication remains democratic in its spirit, we,ordinary Nepali,
shouldn't worry about it. But,like I said earlier, the immense size of this publication
is not beneficial to our media world. It is kind of our Microsoft, and need to be
trimmed asap. We need more players as soon as possible.Never forget that if
there had been more players, if there had been cutthroat competition for market
and dignity, Kantipur Publication would have already chastised its plagiarist
journalists, and publicized the matter to polish its image.
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| GP |
Posted
on 10-Oct-01 09:44 PM
Ashu ji, and Biswo ji,
I praise Kantipur Publication and I do have respect to it,
but, we can not simply take it blindly as a fair news report.
My criticism (I suspected it) is towards betterness of Kantipur
Publication, so that, the peoples in management do
confirm that their reporters do not snatch money from
news makers, "Hey, you should pay me HANDSOM amt., to make your
news published". Please, remember HAWA nachali PAAT
hallidaina. I am not bringing this issue without any proof
in my accusations. I can still give a few KPub news reporters
who ask work for undertable money. So, I do want to know
exactly under what circumstances DB Lama offered the bribe, whether
he had any previous experiences. ... This is not probably the
first attempt, but, a first reporting, I guess I have ever read
in TKP. So, its a good beginning.
I have talked with many peoples who did pay to KPub
reporters and many other news papers, and they do
not accept small amount, thus, small amounts are used
as purifying news. Lets not REJECT this possibility.
Still, this is a good reporting. It points out there is trend of
bribing in news reporting business. Not everywhre,
but, somewhere. "SOMEWHERE" ? I know probability
theories, nothting is impossible. Its impossible to
make world pure, because there is nothing 100%,
but, the cost involved to make it pure is beyond
the scope of an organization like KPub, but, it
is problamatic when the "somewhere" becomes
"countable", i.e. when its not practically a negligible
number or frequency. Those who know probabilities
know what frequency is? . Well, the freqency of bribing
in developed country is quite high, while in Nepal, its
FREQUENT, and "NOT NEGLIGIBLE". "not negligible" = "VISIBLE" .
Lets fight against FREQUENT and VISIBLE corruption and
bribing whereever it may be, either in govt. or in KPub.
(I guess KPub is run from share of few individual or from
public mass).
GP
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