Kundan Aryal | Tribhuwan University,Nepal (original) (raw)
Papers by Kundan Aryal
State Society and Development PMPD Perspectives, Sep 7, 2023
In line with Marxist notions regarding the functioning of mass media, Madan Bhandari's notion of ... more In line with Marxist notions regarding the functioning of mass media, Madan Bhandari's notion of People's Multiparty Democracy (PMPD) deviates from the legacy of the Soviet communist theory of the press. Although Bhandari has not extensively expounded on media operations, his writings reflect a trajectory toward the establishment of a society built on freedom of expression. As the former Spokesperson and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN [UML]), Bhandari's ideas, thoughts, and aspirations resonated with the Nepali public following the People's Movement of 1990. During this relatively brief period, Bhandari effectively communicated his message by incorporating elements of Marxism. Bhandari expressed himself through large-scale public gatherings, mass media interviews, and party documents, including the PMPD, which was overwhelmingly adopted by the Fifth National General Convention of the CPN (UML) in February 1993. This paper, employing qualitative and constructivist approaches, concludes that PMPD contains the seeds of a normative theory that envisions a free media environment conducive to plurality, as well as political competition that is both free and healthy in society. Bhandari consistently advocated for plurality and media.
Unity journal, Feb 15, 2023
This paper explores the media representation of the Nepali Army in its efforts of rescue and reli... more This paper explores the media representation of the Nepali Army in its efforts of rescue and relief operations at home and abroad. In recent decades, the Nepali Army personnel have been directly involved in multiple public-welfare affairs along with their primary responsibilities of national security and territorial protection. Media representation of the Nepal Army has been examined from the perspective of Stuart Hall's classification of representation of meaning through language works. To unfold the media representation of the Nepali Army in its significant roles and core principles, I have taken a sample of the Nepali mass media content from the coverage of the Sankatmochan rescue and relief operations launched by the Nepal Army in two major national dailies, Kantipur and Nagarik in the aftermath of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, for a period of a fortnight. The Nepali Army's effective manoeuvre of the earthquake relief embodies the institution's relevance in serving the cause of humanity along its core tasks of maintaining security, peace and order at home and abroad. In this paper, the coverage of different activities run by the Nepal Army is characterized as either reflective, intentional or constructionist. Moreover, the content concerning such rescue and relief operations has been contributing to shaping the image of the institution.
![Research paper thumbnail of The Gulf War as Simulacra: An Analysis of Vishwa Ghatana [World Affairs] on Nepal Television](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/99989759/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](SCHOLARS: Journal of Arts & Humanities
Between early August 1990 and the end of February 1991, the coverage of the Persian Gulf War on C... more Between early August 1990 and the end of February 1991, the coverage of the Persian Gulf War on Cable News Network (CNN) television showcases a comprehensive example of simulacra. Based on Jean Baudrillard's ideas of postmodern simulacra and simulation, this paper attempts to demonstrate how the simulacra of the Gulf War appeared before the Nepali audience through a domestic nationwide channel. The major source of news and perspectives of the contents of Nepal Television's world affairs program were the reports and images of CNN. The paper, with an approach to looking into the event retrospectively, demonstrates a case where CNN used a comparatively small television channel in a developing country to disseminate its cultural product to the local audience in their vernacular language. Taking Nepal Television (NTV) and its Vishwa Ghatana [World Affairs], a program dedicated to the world affairs as a case in point, this paper examines relationships between the rhetoric and real...
Journal of social protection, Dec 31, 2021
T he media do not cover all the events and incidents of the day. There is a visible trend across ... more T he media do not cover all the events and incidents of the day. There is a visible trend across the world that the process of gatekeeping in the mass media outlets could be liberal with the presence of pressure groups. Though the usual trend of low media coverage on children in Nepal has been low, the spikes have been visible time and again with frequent and relentless persuasion of the cause in the form of pressure, advocacy and campaigns. Analysis of the media coverage of child-related issues from five national dailies and three prominent online news portals based on the cultivated data with qualitative and quantitative approaches demonstrate the direct relationship between the pressure and coverage. It reveals that influence over the gatekeeping process would become the potential to cause wider coverage and prominence placement.
Global Perspectives on Journalism in Nepal, Feb 23, 2022
The study focuses on the communication strategy of an insurgent group. It explores and critiques ... more The study focuses on the communication strategy of an insurgent group. It explores and critiques the acts of violence aimed at creating terror employed by the then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) during the 10-year-long "People's War" in Nepal. In course of exploring information and communication system maintained by the party and its outreach strategy during the insurgency, the research outlines the features of the then CPN (Maoist) regarding the communication during the period. The process and tools of internal as well as external communication used by a clandestine organization thus become the major study of the work. The study is based on the literature published by the party and interviews with the Maoist leaders. It reveals a well-functioned communication system was its lifeline of the rebel. The mode of the dissemination of favourable message was mainly based on the violence; they use the term red terror.
Loo Niva Child Concern Group Lalitpur, Nepal, 2020
The assessment of the state of the right to education in Nepal is based on the analysis of media ... more The assessment of the state of the right to education in Nepal is based
on the analysis of media coverage on the issues and events concerning
the subject matter. It reveals that the most covered issue was the news
stories relating to the access, progress and retention of the children in
the schools. As many as 829 news stories were covered in 6 Nepali language and 2 English-language dailies between January 1 and
December 31, 2019.
Mass Media , 2013
The television contents such as news, views, educational, informative or entertainment items in d... more The television contents such as news, views, educational, informative or entertainment items in different national languages of Nepal in domestic television channels lack originality with cultural flavors. Multilingual production and broadcasting, which are mainly entertainment-based, are found to be instrumental for the gratification and some informative presentations are helping diverse range of people to be informed to some extent. However, most of the programmes in national languages are not being reached among the general public or the speakers of respective languages. Moreover, the situation would have been changed with a greater level of the production of the television programmes in different national languages of the country.
Samhita, vol. 45, A Quarterly Publication of PCN, 2020
Media can play an instrumental role to protect and promote child's rights by their coverage. Howe... more Media can play an instrumental role to protect and promote child's rights by their coverage. However, journalists need to have an understanding of the subject matter to cover the issues concerning protection, development, survival and participation of children in society.
Molung Educational Frontier, 2020
The study focuses on the communication strategy of an insurgent group. It explores and critiques ... more The study focuses on the communication strategy of an insurgent group. It explores and critiques the acts of violence aimed at creating terror employed by the then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) during the 10-year-long "People's War" in Nepal. In course of exploring information and communication system maintained by the
party and its outreach strategy during the insurgency, the research outlines the features of the then CPN (Maoist) regarding the communication during the period. The process and tools of internal as well as external communication used by a clandestine organization thus become the major study of the work. The study is based on the
literature published by the party and interviews with the Maoist leaders. It reveals a well-functioned communication system was its lifeline of the rebel. The mode of the dissemination of favourable message was mainly based on the violence; they use the term red terror.
Mass Media , 2015
Despite of an extensive coverage of post-earthquake scenario, by the period of a week, 24X7 Hindi... more Despite of an extensive coverage of
post-earthquake scenario, by the period of a week, 24X7 Hindi news
channels based in India faced an
enormous wave of refusal in Nepal.
The whole episode indicated that
the satellite televisions need to be
aware on specific skills and sensitivity for the disaster reporting. Indian news channels with high Television Rating Point, might have
learnt a lesson from Nepal. Although
being easily available in South Asia,
they were unable to command respect because of their embedded
reporting and absence of objectivity. After M 7.8 Gorkha Earthquake, media literate audience of
both the neighboring nations, India
and Nepal, effectively used social
media in order to guard against the
creation of spiral of silence that is
proved to be a shock for the Hindi
news channels.
Nepal Television, 2020
The essay is based on a historic event of the advent of a television channel and its subsequent g... more The essay is based on a historic event of the advent of a
television channel and its subsequent growth in a country
which is ranked as a low economy. Unlike, western world
Nepal was not involved in the research and development
of technology, rather it adopted it amid the debate on the
backdrop of the poor socio-economic condition. In this
context, the essay has made an attempt to analyse the early
days of television broadcasting in Nepal with the lens of the
two propositions on the relationship between technology
and society as presented by Raymond Williams. First,
technological determinism, which believes that research
and development as a self-generating process. The new
technologies are invented as they were in an independent
sphere, and then create new societies or new human
conditions. The second proposition, the symptomatic
technology, similarly, assumes that research and
development are self-generating but in a more marginal
way.
Books by Kundan Aryal
Nepal , 2013
Before 1990’s political changes, Nepali journalism was heavily dominated by the contents related ... more Before 1990’s political changes, Nepali journalism was heavily
dominated by the contents related to political activities
and debate. Though Radio Nepal was started with the dawn of
democracy in 1951, it was absolutely controlled by the Government and private radios proliferated only after 1990. Nepal
Television started to face challenges from private channels
only after 2000. The alternative media outlets to the state-owned print and broadcasting media between 1951 and 1990
were the privately-owned newspapers, mostly the weeklies.
The arrival of the organized private sector in print media with large
investment and the privately-owned broadcast media are manifestations of the changes in post-1990 Nepal.
Select Media Topics, 2013
This chapter provides an overview of the press laws of Nepal and 13 other countries. It deals wit... more This chapter provides an overview of the press laws of Nepal and 13 other countries. It deals with the normative and applied aspects of media ethics. It strives to highlight the theory and practice for media self-regulation in different parts of the world. It dissects the relationship between the law and ethics as they are practised in several variants of democracies. Discussing the spirit of the First Amendment, the Shield Law and the Sunshine Laws of the United States, this chapter delves into the United Kingdom’s contributions to the evolution of the concepts freedom of expression and public service broadcasting. The write-up cites examples of accountable and ethical practices in the media systems of Scandinavian countries. It presents France as a case to show the measures a nation may choose to adopt in protecting language and culture. The Chinese experiences with state control over the media through legislation and the Asian variant of the US model as practised in Japan are additional features discussed in the chapter. The focus is also on the constitutional and legal provisions for freedom of expression and media diversity in South Asia.
State Society and Development PMPD Perspectives, Sep 7, 2023
In line with Marxist notions regarding the functioning of mass media, Madan Bhandari's notion of ... more In line with Marxist notions regarding the functioning of mass media, Madan Bhandari's notion of People's Multiparty Democracy (PMPD) deviates from the legacy of the Soviet communist theory of the press. Although Bhandari has not extensively expounded on media operations, his writings reflect a trajectory toward the establishment of a society built on freedom of expression. As the former Spokesperson and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN [UML]), Bhandari's ideas, thoughts, and aspirations resonated with the Nepali public following the People's Movement of 1990. During this relatively brief period, Bhandari effectively communicated his message by incorporating elements of Marxism. Bhandari expressed himself through large-scale public gatherings, mass media interviews, and party documents, including the PMPD, which was overwhelmingly adopted by the Fifth National General Convention of the CPN (UML) in February 1993. This paper, employing qualitative and constructivist approaches, concludes that PMPD contains the seeds of a normative theory that envisions a free media environment conducive to plurality, as well as political competition that is both free and healthy in society. Bhandari consistently advocated for plurality and media.
Unity journal, Feb 15, 2023
This paper explores the media representation of the Nepali Army in its efforts of rescue and reli... more This paper explores the media representation of the Nepali Army in its efforts of rescue and relief operations at home and abroad. In recent decades, the Nepali Army personnel have been directly involved in multiple public-welfare affairs along with their primary responsibilities of national security and territorial protection. Media representation of the Nepal Army has been examined from the perspective of Stuart Hall's classification of representation of meaning through language works. To unfold the media representation of the Nepali Army in its significant roles and core principles, I have taken a sample of the Nepali mass media content from the coverage of the Sankatmochan rescue and relief operations launched by the Nepal Army in two major national dailies, Kantipur and Nagarik in the aftermath of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, for a period of a fortnight. The Nepali Army's effective manoeuvre of the earthquake relief embodies the institution's relevance in serving the cause of humanity along its core tasks of maintaining security, peace and order at home and abroad. In this paper, the coverage of different activities run by the Nepal Army is characterized as either reflective, intentional or constructionist. Moreover, the content concerning such rescue and relief operations has been contributing to shaping the image of the institution.
SCHOLARS: Journal of Arts & Humanities
Between early August 1990 and the end of February 1991, the coverage of the Persian Gulf War on C... more Between early August 1990 and the end of February 1991, the coverage of the Persian Gulf War on Cable News Network (CNN) television showcases a comprehensive example of simulacra. Based on Jean Baudrillard's ideas of postmodern simulacra and simulation, this paper attempts to demonstrate how the simulacra of the Gulf War appeared before the Nepali audience through a domestic nationwide channel. The major source of news and perspectives of the contents of Nepal Television's world affairs program were the reports and images of CNN. The paper, with an approach to looking into the event retrospectively, demonstrates a case where CNN used a comparatively small television channel in a developing country to disseminate its cultural product to the local audience in their vernacular language. Taking Nepal Television (NTV) and its Vishwa Ghatana [World Affairs], a program dedicated to the world affairs as a case in point, this paper examines relationships between the rhetoric and real...
Journal of social protection, Dec 31, 2021
T he media do not cover all the events and incidents of the day. There is a visible trend across ... more T he media do not cover all the events and incidents of the day. There is a visible trend across the world that the process of gatekeeping in the mass media outlets could be liberal with the presence of pressure groups. Though the usual trend of low media coverage on children in Nepal has been low, the spikes have been visible time and again with frequent and relentless persuasion of the cause in the form of pressure, advocacy and campaigns. Analysis of the media coverage of child-related issues from five national dailies and three prominent online news portals based on the cultivated data with qualitative and quantitative approaches demonstrate the direct relationship between the pressure and coverage. It reveals that influence over the gatekeeping process would become the potential to cause wider coverage and prominence placement.
Global Perspectives on Journalism in Nepal, Feb 23, 2022
The study focuses on the communication strategy of an insurgent group. It explores and critiques ... more The study focuses on the communication strategy of an insurgent group. It explores and critiques the acts of violence aimed at creating terror employed by the then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) during the 10-year-long "People's War" in Nepal. In course of exploring information and communication system maintained by the party and its outreach strategy during the insurgency, the research outlines the features of the then CPN (Maoist) regarding the communication during the period. The process and tools of internal as well as external communication used by a clandestine organization thus become the major study of the work. The study is based on the literature published by the party and interviews with the Maoist leaders. It reveals a well-functioned communication system was its lifeline of the rebel. The mode of the dissemination of favourable message was mainly based on the violence; they use the term red terror.
Loo Niva Child Concern Group Lalitpur, Nepal, 2020
The assessment of the state of the right to education in Nepal is based on the analysis of media ... more The assessment of the state of the right to education in Nepal is based
on the analysis of media coverage on the issues and events concerning
the subject matter. It reveals that the most covered issue was the news
stories relating to the access, progress and retention of the children in
the schools. As many as 829 news stories were covered in 6 Nepali language and 2 English-language dailies between January 1 and
December 31, 2019.
Mass Media , 2013
The television contents such as news, views, educational, informative or entertainment items in d... more The television contents such as news, views, educational, informative or entertainment items in different national languages of Nepal in domestic television channels lack originality with cultural flavors. Multilingual production and broadcasting, which are mainly entertainment-based, are found to be instrumental for the gratification and some informative presentations are helping diverse range of people to be informed to some extent. However, most of the programmes in national languages are not being reached among the general public or the speakers of respective languages. Moreover, the situation would have been changed with a greater level of the production of the television programmes in different national languages of the country.
Samhita, vol. 45, A Quarterly Publication of PCN, 2020
Media can play an instrumental role to protect and promote child's rights by their coverage. Howe... more Media can play an instrumental role to protect and promote child's rights by their coverage. However, journalists need to have an understanding of the subject matter to cover the issues concerning protection, development, survival and participation of children in society.
Molung Educational Frontier, 2020
The study focuses on the communication strategy of an insurgent group. It explores and critiques ... more The study focuses on the communication strategy of an insurgent group. It explores and critiques the acts of violence aimed at creating terror employed by the then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) during the 10-year-long "People's War" in Nepal. In course of exploring information and communication system maintained by the
party and its outreach strategy during the insurgency, the research outlines the features of the then CPN (Maoist) regarding the communication during the period. The process and tools of internal as well as external communication used by a clandestine organization thus become the major study of the work. The study is based on the
literature published by the party and interviews with the Maoist leaders. It reveals a well-functioned communication system was its lifeline of the rebel. The mode of the dissemination of favourable message was mainly based on the violence; they use the term red terror.
Mass Media , 2015
Despite of an extensive coverage of post-earthquake scenario, by the period of a week, 24X7 Hindi... more Despite of an extensive coverage of
post-earthquake scenario, by the period of a week, 24X7 Hindi news
channels based in India faced an
enormous wave of refusal in Nepal.
The whole episode indicated that
the satellite televisions need to be
aware on specific skills and sensitivity for the disaster reporting. Indian news channels with high Television Rating Point, might have
learnt a lesson from Nepal. Although
being easily available in South Asia,
they were unable to command respect because of their embedded
reporting and absence of objectivity. After M 7.8 Gorkha Earthquake, media literate audience of
both the neighboring nations, India
and Nepal, effectively used social
media in order to guard against the
creation of spiral of silence that is
proved to be a shock for the Hindi
news channels.
Nepal Television, 2020
The essay is based on a historic event of the advent of a television channel and its subsequent g... more The essay is based on a historic event of the advent of a
television channel and its subsequent growth in a country
which is ranked as a low economy. Unlike, western world
Nepal was not involved in the research and development
of technology, rather it adopted it amid the debate on the
backdrop of the poor socio-economic condition. In this
context, the essay has made an attempt to analyse the early
days of television broadcasting in Nepal with the lens of the
two propositions on the relationship between technology
and society as presented by Raymond Williams. First,
technological determinism, which believes that research
and development as a self-generating process. The new
technologies are invented as they were in an independent
sphere, and then create new societies or new human
conditions. The second proposition, the symptomatic
technology, similarly, assumes that research and
development are self-generating but in a more marginal
way.
Nepal , 2013
Before 1990’s political changes, Nepali journalism was heavily dominated by the contents related ... more Before 1990’s political changes, Nepali journalism was heavily
dominated by the contents related to political activities
and debate. Though Radio Nepal was started with the dawn of
democracy in 1951, it was absolutely controlled by the Government and private radios proliferated only after 1990. Nepal
Television started to face challenges from private channels
only after 2000. The alternative media outlets to the state-owned print and broadcasting media between 1951 and 1990
were the privately-owned newspapers, mostly the weeklies.
The arrival of the organized private sector in print media with large
investment and the privately-owned broadcast media are manifestations of the changes in post-1990 Nepal.
Select Media Topics, 2013
This chapter provides an overview of the press laws of Nepal and 13 other countries. It deals wit... more This chapter provides an overview of the press laws of Nepal and 13 other countries. It deals with the normative and applied aspects of media ethics. It strives to highlight the theory and practice for media self-regulation in different parts of the world. It dissects the relationship between the law and ethics as they are practised in several variants of democracies. Discussing the spirit of the First Amendment, the Shield Law and the Sunshine Laws of the United States, this chapter delves into the United Kingdom’s contributions to the evolution of the concepts freedom of expression and public service broadcasting. The write-up cites examples of accountable and ethical practices in the media systems of Scandinavian countries. It presents France as a case to show the measures a nation may choose to adopt in protecting language and culture. The Chinese experiences with state control over the media through legislation and the Asian variant of the US model as practised in Japan are additional features discussed in the chapter. The focus is also on the constitutional and legal provisions for freedom of expression and media diversity in South Asia.