After the April Uprising, Nepal is ready for transformation. Established power centres are in tatters, yet the Nepali media is unable to shed its dual characteristics. In last 50 years, the media has always found itself hobnobbing with power. In first phase, the media was divided along the party lines, in the latter phase, it is divided around personality and attitudes.

After the 1980 referendum, the media appeared proactive, but was vigorously discouraged by the establishment. The 1990 restoration of democracy the media didn't change its spots. The government merely amended the words of the Panchayat era policy, but continued the same practices.

Even now, the press is divided by media personalities. The formula of use and consumption remain the guiding policy. When the Maoists launched the people's war, the media failed to form a clear view of the movement. It didn't look at the human cost of the war, those caught in the crossfire. The Nepali media have never really looked at the possibility of news outside the perimeter of power. Most of its time is spent chasing loose talking politicians and leaky bureaucrats, or a policy-less government. Any politicians buying expensive goods from abroad becomes spicy news. It was never bothered by ethics. The media is also psychogenic, journalists have an illusion of undisputed qualification. They can't appreciate viewpoints that differ from theirs, the achievements of fellow Nepalis, they are paranoid about competition and take pleasure in their own limited accomplishments.

The Maoists now control the Ministry of Information, but they too have failed to appreciate the importance of the media. In this top-down world, the Nepali people who are consumers of media products have no choice but to accept what the journalists and publishers dish out.

This is what our press freedom means: the people are free to listen not to speak out. We media people thrive on our claim of interactive society, but take pleasure at the citizen's inability to speak.