Indian media makes news in Nepal, for wrong reasons

Kathmandu, May 25 , 2015: A section of the Indian media has made news in Nepal -- for the wrong reasons. The electronic media in particular faces charges of sensationalism at a time when the Himalayan nation is recovering from the deadly scars of the April earthquake that left more than 8,500 people dead. In Kathmandu, few hide their feelings vis-a-vis the Indian media. "There is a lot of resentment against Indian journalists because of the biased approach they took to cover the tragic event," Dinesh Gautam, deputy chief executive officer of Probiotech Industries, Nepal's prominent feed industry, told IANS. The main reason for the anger towards certain media, especially two prominent Hindi news channels, was the "insensitive" reportage following large-scale deaths and destruction, he said. The one question which Indian TV reporters kept asking and which is the focus of much of the criticism is: "How are you feeling?" "What would be your reaction to this question when you lose a family member in a disaster?" banker Nira Shrestha asked this IANS correspondent. She said there should be some sensitivity towards such incidents. "If somebody is under trauma or lying on a stretcher with multiple injuries, you cannot pose silly questions. This is the main reason for the anger against the Indian media," Shrestha said.