The superstition of 17 Nepali editors

Seventeen Nepali editors signed a statement on Wednesday to condemn the Chinese embassy’s “use of disparaging language”.

I think they have a belief that since the Nepali constitution guarantees the full press freedom, they can express everything freely.

In my opinion, their belief is superstition. Western media like Times and The Economist often publish photos of Chinese leaders like Chairman Mao wearing a mask, which is considered as a rude offence, even an attack by Chinese people. Those elites in Nepal’s media industry think they also can deal with news topics the same way that their western media colleagues are doing.

There are two basic facts, I am afraid, that are forgotten or ignored by those well-educated editors while enjoying so-called press freedom. One is that they are living in Nepal, which is China’s friend and partner, unlike the USA, which is now treating China as a challenger and enemy. At the same time, Nepal is in a weak, sensitive position, compared to the USA and India, both are giants and often opt for being aggressive.

If the former editor of The Kathmandu Post Anup Kafle is a real nationalist, loyal to and working for his motherland Nepal, he should have not published such a picture, hurting the Chinese community here.

To my surprise, the 17 editors did not criticize the Post’s mistake, instead, they condemned the Chinese embassy’s “such act”, which shows they do not pay much attention to the national interest of Nepal.

In this sense, they are self-serving elites. It may be better for them to follow Mr. Anup’s path, going to a more comfortable USA and work there.

(This commentary was published by Left Review Online on February 21, 2020)