The media sector in Nepal is developing rapidly and becoming increasingly diverse. There are currently more than 400 newspapers published and 235 radio stations that are registered. The Government of Nepal publishes one daily newspaper in Nepali, one daily newspaper in English and operates a national radio and television broadcasting network. The rest of the media publishers are privately operated, although many are directly influenced by various political parties and large business houses. There is an enormous demand in the media sector for skilled media professionals. It is estimated there are approximately 10,000 journalists working in Nepal, though most journalists have not received any form of training. Following this project, NPI will have increased its the capacity to provide training to newspaper and radio journalists who live outside of Kathmandu and who do not have access to other media training opportunities.
A major problem in Nepal is that the workforce in the media is largely unskilled. Untrained journalists are easily influenced and manipulated by political and other interest groups. Most journalists do not have a strong theoretical foundation in journalism, nor do they have the practical skills in investigative research and in-depth reporting skills which would enable them to uncover and report news based on balanced viewpoints. This is a problem, because media consumers are usually unaware of the differences between news and propaganda. Political interest groups exploit this situation for their advantage; they manipulate the media to bolster their own position.
It is important to address this problem because Nepal is a new democracy founded upon principals of citizen's democratic rights. Media is a tool for disseminating information about political processes and is a powerful medium for promoting the democratic discourse. If media is used correctly, it will strengthen Nepal's fledgling democracy. However, if it is misused by political interest groups, it can undermine the entire foundation of democracy in Nepal. The skills of the workforce in Nepal's media sector need to be improved significantly. Media professionals, especially those who live outside of Kathmandu, must be equipped with the theoretical foundations and practical skills required to present balanced and accurate information in their reporting and writing.
The solution to this problem, as presented in this project, is to establish a distance learning system for training in uplifting media skills. By using a distance learning system, journalists will be able to participate in interactive discussions with the lecturer and other students, access reading and learning materials, participate in practical exercises and sit for examinations by using an online Content Management System (CMS). This method of teaching and learning is viable for Nepal as Internet access is now readily available in many parts of the country. Furthermore, NPI has discussed this concept with journalists in remote parts of Nepal and has found there is strong demand for a distance learning course.
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Publisher:
UNESCO
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(2010
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Type / Script:
Progress Report
in English
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Keywords:
CAPACITY BUILDING, TRAINING PROGRAMMES, WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAMMES, EMPOWERMENT, INSTITUTION BUILDING, DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL, MASS MEDIA, NEWSPAPERS, RADIO, JOURNALISTS
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Thematic Group:
UNESCO
:
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
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Thesaurus:
15.04.00
- Communication And Mass Media
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Reference Link:
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