There had never been such widespread self-censorship here from the time the first newspaper, Khel Jagatu, was registered at Dhanusha District Administration Office in 1979 to the day of the last newspaper registration, that of Mithila Bhumi.
But today, self-censorship is a hard reality, said veteran Janakpur journalist Rajeshwar Nepali.
Journalists here are forced to exercise self-censorship despite their being well aware that this is an infringement on the people’s right to information, Nepali said.
Six newspapers are published in Janakpur in the Maithili language. An equal number of FM radio stations also operate here.
Ishwor Chandra Jha, joint-secretary of Dhanusha chapter of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), admitted that self-censorship has blunted the impact of news bulletins on FM radio. Jha works for Radio Mithila.
“We have to think twice before carrying news about crime, armed groups and individuals affiliated to political parties,” he said.
Three mission teams of the FNJ that visited Janakpur on February 2 also concluded that Singh’s murder has spawned media self-censorship in Madhes, commented Taranath Dahal, head of the missions that visited Dhanusha, Mahottari and Sarlahi.
Birendra Raman, Executive Editor of the Tarai Times published from Janakpur, said that media continue to receive threats for either carrying news stories or for not carrying them.
“Such threats have made it impossible for journalists to write factually,” he said.
Pawan Shrestha, a journalist working for ABC television, said journalists avoid writing about groups that issue threats, including death threats.
Journalist Shrawan Dev said journalists in Saptari have started censoring stories about armed groups after Kantipur journalist Jitendra Khadka was threatened for writing a news report about extortion by the Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha-Rajan Mukti.
If self-censorship is not nipped in the bud, it could spread to other districts and eventually affect journalism in Kathmandu, said Brij Kumar Yadav, the BBC’s Janakpur correspondent.
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