Journo, blogger, activist: An 'uneasy combination' in some parts, says Nepalese blogger

By Kelly Winslow: Journalist. Blogger. Activist. All three labels describe Dinesh Wagle, whose blog United We Blog!, has literally changed the face of journalism in his native nation of Nepal.

Wagle spoke Wednesday at UCLA about journalistic censorship in Nepal and about how his blog has allowed him to express himself without being repressed by the government.

In 2005, King Gyandendra took control of the government and began a series of restrictions on journalists.

"We were starved for information about what was going on," Wagle said.

This prompted Wagle to start a blog, something that for the Nepalese community was a completely new concept. When he started his personal Web site he was working for a Nepalese magazine and was still covering mainstream media.

"It was a median of expression for me to write things I normally couldn’t in regular print," Wagle said.

But Wagle’s blog became more than just an outlet for expression. It became a place where people worldwide would come to get information that they couldn’t find in the mainstream papers.

At the UCLA event, Wagle focused on the idea of alternative media and how being a journalist, blogger and an activist is sometimes an "uneasy combination," especially in the U.S., where blogs are sometimes seen as lacking in objectivity or in editorial oversight.

When asked about mainstream media's perception of him, he said, "many times mainstream media thinks alternative media is insignificant."

He was quick to note however, that after he began his blog, "how invaluable it was" when many news outlets began giving his blog coverage, OJR being one of the first. [See OJR story from February 2005.]

Now there are more than 50 blogs in Nepal, 20 of which are operated by journalists.

"It is very necessary for a country like Nepal to have a voice," Wagle said.

When one audience member asked Wagle's opinion about why he hasn’t been shut down yet, Wagle offered possible reasons and added, "It is amazing that [the blog] hasn't been shut down."

Overall, Wagle said what was most important was what we do as individual reporters.

"We have two responsibilities. One is to protect our right to report and the other is to do the reporting."

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