SMS tweets

June 7, 2010Posted inMedia
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…

Trial by secret jury

May 18, 2010Posted inMedia
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…

Stop press!

April 21, 2010Posted inMedia
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…

Anonymous fear

April 12, 2010Posted inGovernment, Media
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.

Headline news!

March 13, 2010Posted inMedia
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…

Controlling influence

March 9, 2010Posted inMedia
There’s something strange going on. I have already expressed my concerns that the prime minister’s office may be influencing the media. But what has recently been happening is worse: one newspaper, Bhutan Today, has started carrying every press release that comes out of the prime minister’s office as their own story, word for word, but with their own byline. Compare the following stories: “Bigger responsibility for NSB, better data for nation” by the Cabinet; and “Statistics and GNH Statistics” by Bhutan Today “SAARC summit: preparations in full swing” by the Cabinet; and “450 Delegates to Attend SAARC Summit” by…

Digging deeper

March 1, 2010Posted inMedia
Business Bhutan, in their last editorial: “A country like Bhutan would be happy to be adopted by Tata,” a press release from the government’s media cell quoted the prime minister as saying. Writing about that in his blog and opening up another debate the opposition leader took a dig at the media too. “And to make certain that Ratan Tata did not miss the Government’s invitation for adoption, all our major newspapers – Kuensel and Bhutan Today and Bhutan Observer and Bhutan Times and Business Bhutan – carried the PM’s tempting offer, word for word,” he wrote. I did,…

Beware

February 7, 2010Posted inMedia
The short entry about the appointment of Tenzin Rigden as the PM’s media advisor generated some long and heated discussions. Very good. But now what? First, the media must beware. By Tenzin Rigden’s own admission he has deep connections in the media: … here are the facts – worked in Kuensel for 10 years; started and ran BT for three years (yes, I still own 10% BT shares if there is any value at all now); the owner of Bhutan Today is my first cousin and its CEO my nephew; the editors of Business Bhutan are friends and former…

PRESS RELEASE

January 29, 2010Posted inEconomy, Media



The Opposition Leader called on the Minister of Economic Affairs, His Excellency Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, yesterday to express the Opposition Party’s concerns on the Royal Government’s recent policy decisions on tourism. The Opposition Leader reported that, after studying the Royal Government’s Executive Order of 13 November 2009 and consulting a wide range of people, representing a cross section of society, the Opposition Party has concluded that:
On the Royal Government’s decision to “Roll out of the integrated channel, price and supply policy that liberalizes the minimum package price and mandatory package via tour operator requirement…”

  1. Liberalizing the tourist tariff will undermine the positive brand image that our country has carefully cultivated and enjoyed over the last three decades. Most foreigners, including those who have never visited Bhutan, perceive Bhutan as a high end, exclusive destination. They consistently applaud the existing tariff policy as responsible and sustainable measures that are also in line with the principles of Gross National Happiness. Liberalizing the tourist tariff, even if it actually amounts to increased tourist spending, will harm Bhutan’s brand image.

Free media’s other ace?

January 25, 2010Posted inGovernment, Media
When Dasho Kinley Dorji was appointed as the MOIC secretary last year, I hinted that that could be both good and not-so-good for our media. Now, it appears that the government has recruited Tenzin Rigden, apparently on a short-term contract, as their “media advisor”.  Tenzin Rigden worked in Kuensel, owned Bhutan Media Services, and started and owns Bhutan Times. He’s commands considerable influence in the media circle. So, like Dasho Kinley, Tenzin’s appointment to the Prime Minister’s Office can be good for the media. Or, it could be dangerous. We’ll know soon enough. But for now, what we need…

Media wars

January 5, 2010Posted inMedia
Mass media in Bhutan has enjoyed exceptional growth recently. During the last four years, five new newspapers – all privately owned – started operations in quick succession.  Bhutan Times, Bhutan Observer, Bhutan Today, Business Bhutan and The Journalist hit the newsstands on 30 April 2006, 2 June 2006, 30 October 2008, 26 September 2009 and 20 December 2009 respectively. Till then Kuensel, which started as a government bulletin in 1967, was our country’s only newspaper. Our airwaves have also seen rapid growth. Beginning with Kuzoo FM, which started operations in September 2006, three other private radio stations (Radio Valley,…

Remote control

November 19, 2009Posted inMedia
So, BBS has not been permitted to broadcast live coverage of most of the proceedings of the fourth session of the National Assembly. Only the opening and closing ceremonies, and the discussions on the Anticorruption Commission’s annual report will be broadcast live. This is how it was in the National Assembly’s third session. And, like then, I am still concerned that the independence and freedom of the nation’s only TV station is being compromised. But what I recently read in the Kuensel got me even more concerned. BBS’s general manager was quoted as saying: “MoIC wants us to submit…

Year old paper

October 31, 2009Posted inMedia
A year ago, on 30th October 2008, the media industry in Bhutan raised their standards considerably. On that day, the print media gave us our first daily newspaper. What’s surprising is that that newspaper was Bhutan Today, then the newest paper in town. What’s amazing is that Bhutan Today has pulled it off. Since launching their first issue on the 30th of October, they have managed to produce a newspaper every day, without fail, throughout the last year. The paper is still simple, but the fact is that they come out every single day. The fact is also that…

Good news

October 26, 2009Posted inMedia
Shortly after the editor and six reporters had collectively and suddenly resigned from Bhutan Times, Wangcha Sangey, the Chairman and CEO of the newspaper, promised that he would not disappoint his readers.  And, true to his word, he has not disappointed. In the barely two days since the mass resignations, he, with help from K4 Media, has turned out a 32-page newspaper that is actually better than some of its previous issues.

Troubled Times

October 23, 2009Posted inMedia
On 30th April 2006, Volume I, Issue 1 of the Bhutan Times hit the newsstands. If you have that first issue, treasure it. Bhutan Times was, at that time, only the second newspaper in our country. It was started by Tenzin Rigden and Tashi P. Wangdi as Bhutan’s first privately owned newspaper. So that first issue will always represent the emergence of a vibrant private media in our country. Yesterday, journalists at the Bhutan Times resigned en masse protesting editorial interference by management. The collective resignation should seriously affect the newspaper’s credibility. And, its ability to publish its next…