Reporters Without Borders is a nongovernmental organization that fights for freedom of the press. Each year, Reporters Without Borders publishes the Press Freedom Index, an assessment and ranking of press freedom around the world. In 2003, Reporters Without Borders ranked Bhutan’s press freedom record at a miserable 157 of the 166 countries they studied. But since then, Bhutan’s record has improved consistently. In 2006 Bhutan was ranked 98 out of 168 countries. And for 2010, Bhutan is ranked 64 of 178 countries. 64th in the Press Freedom Index is not bad. We must protect our good record. And naturally,…
Finally! A magazine just for students! And about time too. After all, one in every three Bhutanese is a student. The magazine, Students’ Digest, a quarterly, was launched last month, befittingly on Children’s Day, the 11th of November. Students’ Digest is a rich compilation of educational material for students, and their teachers and parents. From news, views and interviews to scholarships, jobs and study tips the magazine offers knowledge, entertainment and counsel to its readers. I wish the Students’ Digest team well. Their success will be our students’ success.
Mega-leaks by WikiLeaks: First it was the Afghan War Diary. Then it was the Iraq War Logs. Now it is Secret US Embassy Cables. These and the thousands of other otherwise unpublished documents “leaked” by WikiLeaks have generated strong reactions both for and against the award wining, new media nonprofit organization. What do you think? Does WikiLeaks promote transparency and accountability in government? Or does WikiLeaks threaten international relations and global security? Please share your views. And take the poll.
I’ve walked out of the National Assembly hall on many occasions. Mostly, they have been to visit the men’s room. And occasionally, to retrieve documents or to consult experts on issues being discussed in the hall. But I’ve never walked out in protest. So I was surprised when, six months ago, Kuensel took note when I left my seat: The opposition leader left the hall before the end of the budget report discussions, which hurried to a close, once the chapter on the rationalisation of taxes was done with. And I was surprised when, ten days ago, Kuensel again…
The sixth session of the Parliament has concluded. And again, during this session too, the National Assembly did not allow its proceedings to be broadcast on live TV. But this time, the Assembly allowed the Question Hour discussions to be carried on live TV. That’s a slight improvement. And I welcome it. And hope that, from the next session on, BBS will once again be allowed to cover the National Assembly’s entire proceedings on live TV. On a related note, BBS’s own efforts at covering the Parliament’s discussions seem to have regressed. Till the last session, BBS would, after…
A cartoon dominated the front cover of today’s The Journalist. The caricature features a hooded hangman lighting the fuse on a stick of dynamite that will blow up four newspapers. Kuensel and Observer are shown applauding the hangman’s efforts, while the public watches the dangerous proceedings in complete indifference. So who is this hooded hangman?
The Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy and the BBS recently got together last week to organize a seminar on the nature and role of public service broadcasting in Bhutan. The two-day seminar, which was meant to discuss public service media and broadcasting in general, generated a good deal of attention on the way BBS is organized and run. Such scrutiny is good for BBS’s health. In fact, it is vital, especially if the Kingdom’s oldest and main broadcaster is to achieve its vision of becoming “A trusted public service broadcaster of international standing …” The BBS was delinked…
Do you like quizzes? If so, here's one. But it's open only to Kuensel journalists. Study the clip below from yesterday's Kuensel. Then choose the correct answer. How does the opposition leader, Tshering Tobgay, spell his name? Tshering Tobgye Tshering Tobgay Tshering Tobgyel Bonus points for spelling the other opposition party member's name correctly.
An excellent piece of investigative journalism, about Bhutan’s role in the Indian lottery scam, by Business Bhutan’s Tenzing Lamsang, that screams for answers.
Enough protection?
Last week, Parliament authorized the government to review the mandate of BBS. I’m against the government meddling in BBS’s affairs. But our lawmakers feel that the country’s only TV station is underperforming. And that the government should intervene to give BBS vision and the means to achieve that vision.
So what’s the first move that the government makes? It directs BBS to go 24/7. And it does so without consulting anyone in BBS. Our national broadcaster struggles to generate sufficient content for the five hours it goes on air each day, and the government, unilaterally, directs BBS to broadcast round the clock. This directive does not augur well for television in Bhutan.
BBS is essentially a non-commercial public service broadcaster. So the state should subsidize its operations. How much? That, the government should decide.
But the government should not interfere in how BBS is run. That is the job of the Managing Director and the Board of Directors – ultimately they are the ones responsible for ensuring that BBS is able to inform, educate and entertain our people, and for protecting its editorial independence.
And that, precisely, was the reason why BBS was delinked from the government in the first place. The Royal Kasho establishing BBS as an autonomous corporation was issued way back on 18 September 1992. But its message is timeless. In fact, it’s even more relevant today. So, to remind ourselves, I’m reproducing the translation of that Royal Kasho:
About a year ago, I’d announced that I was on Twitter, a social networking site that offers “micro-blogging” by allowing users to post updates that are less than 140 characters long. Twitter originally set a 140-character limit so that “tweets” would be compatible with the SMS messaging. I’d also described how the Twitter experience could be enhanced if our mobile cellular service providers would tie up with Twitter: If B-Mobile, say, were to allow Twitter to recognize their network, then users would be able to “tweet” using SMS’s, and “followers” would be able to receive updates as SMS’s. And…
The first annual journalism awards drew strong criticism from the media when a judge won the prize for the very category he was adjudicating. This time, during the second annual journalism awards, the government was careful not to repeat last year’s howler. And they managed. How? By concealing the identity of the jury. The public – and that includes the media – did not, and still does not, know who this year’s judges were. In fact, it appears that the judges themselves do not know who their fellow judges were! Being cautious is one thing. But being secretive is…
The second Annual Journalism Awards will take place on 3rd May, coinciding with World Press Day. Good. But, like last year, the government is organizing the event. Not good. It is in the media’s interest to decide, without government interference, how to recognize and reward good journalism. And, equally important, who to recognize and reward. So the media should be organizing this important event. When the government is involved, the awards lose credibility. And the whole process – from defining categories to selecting judges to awarding prizes – will be questioned. For the sake of a vibrant media, the…
Of the many reasons we may have to comment anonymously, fear of government reprisal is the worst. Here’s how Kuensel introduced a contractor’s remarks recently: An owner of an established construction company, who requested anonymity, fearing possible backlash from the government, said that … The government must dispel such fears. The Constitution, after all, guarantees "...the right to freedom of speech, opinion and expression" as a fundamental right.
The latest comment on my post about the prime minister’s office influencing Bhutan Today was by “mediawatch” who challenged: Mr OL You got to do some explaining here! We are not convinced. TR has given his explanation and made his stand clear. Now Mr OL you need to put a brave face and give your reasons. otherwise we are going to take this as one of your several political gimmicks! And the comment before that was by “Guest” who pleaded: I am still pleading with the OL to explain to me how he sees that issue which escapes me…
