Kathmandu: Nepal’s noted academicians, youth activists and the widely acclaimed media men have voiced their concerns regarding the sorry state of Nepali youths who, according to them, remain in utter confusion and direction-less due to the sheer negligence exhibited by the State over the years towards their pressing issues and problems.

The same set also concurrently expressed their anxiety over the dismal performance of the Nepali media in addressing to the issues of the youths and called upon the government to devise schemes that took care of the problems of the youths in order to tap the immense potential what the youths possess in them which could be later used for the benefit of the nation.

The scholars also lamented over the attitudes of the political leaders and their parties in having defined the democratic system in a manner that suited to their political tilts and urged the major political actors to refrain from doing so in the larger interest of the system and the nation as well.

This they said while attending a one-day media seminar entitled “Youth, Media and Democracy”, jointly organized by the Telegraph Weekly in close cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung last Friday.

Welcoming the galaxy of scholars attending the seminar at the inaugural session, the chief editor of the Telegraph Weekly, Mr. N.P.Upadhyaya said that the governments formed after 1990 were summarily to be blamed for the present plight of the Nepali youths who find themselves in a very pathetic situation today.

“Th media too remained a silent spectator to the plight of the Nepali youths. Instead of informing the youths, we disinformed them”, added Upadhyaya.

Former president of the Federation of Nepalese journalists, Mr. Suresh Acharya, said that the October 4 events have raised doubts whether the Nepali media would be allowed to practice media freedom as guaranteed by the constitution.

The Kathmandu district president of the FNJ, Mr. Hari Lamsal, opined that various efforts were in the offing to do away with the plight of the small weekly newspapers.

Scholar Anand Aditya highlighted the role of the media and the youths in a democracy like ours.

“The Nepali media has a tremendous role to play in order to strengthen the system. It has also a role in pressing the establishment to look into the matters related to the plight of the youths who appear disillusioned by the existing chaotic state of the nation’s politics as it stood today”, said Anand Aditya.

The Public Relations Officer at the US Embassy. Ms. Constance Colding Jones, the chief guest of the seminar said that “in a democracy, the media have a civic duty as well particularly to the young people—to inform, to teach, to uplift, to stretch, to enlarge the capacities of thinking, to deepen understanding, explain the world and teach the great traditions of freedom”.

The chief guest made it abundantly clear that the media can and should itself become an example by presenting balanced information, by abstaining from propagating wild rumors, by examining stories to make sure they represented the facts.

She also said that the media men must frame a code of ethics and practice on how to remain within the limits of the code thus charted while reporting an event. ( Her speech will appear next week—ed).

The first session saw a working paper presentation by a noted sociologist of the country , Dr. Krishna Bhattachan who said that “the current degeneration in politics and escalating violence and counter violence in insurgency situation was primarily due to the exclusionary, highly centralized, West Minister model of democracy”’. According to Dr. Bhattachan, what was needed instead was a multi-caste/ethnic, language, religion, culture and region and which is what constitutes an “inclusive democracy”. ( See the full text in second page-ed).

Speaking from the chair, Professor Mohd. Habibullah said that certain political aberrations were seen at the moment which he hoped would vanish time permitting.

Poof. Dr. Ram Kumar Dahal, yet another political scientist of repute, presented his paer on th same topic wherein he maintained that the “triangular relationship among the youths, media and democracy in today’s globalised world has become a subject matter of prime concern in any political and social system and hence it would be important to note here that the youths are the subjects of socialization within the nation-state, the media are the means of such socialization and democracy, thus, become a value or ideal to be achieved both by the subjects and the means”.

Speaking from the Chair, Mr. Shrish Rana, a widely acclaimed political analyst, said that the excessively biased Nepali media had done little all along these democratic years to address the genuine grievances of the people and that the youths too must not become the political tools of various political parties.