TRN Turns 61

The woods are lovely, dark and deep/But I have promises to keep/And miles to go before I sleep/And miles to go before I sleep.

These prophetic lines by popular American poet Robert Frost resonate with the mission and operation of The Rising Nepal (TRN) as it turns 61 today. Instituted on December 16, 1965, the first English broadsheet daily of the country has served the nation and its people for six long decades, and wishes to remain in service for decades to come and document and disseminate factual information about ‘the country and the people’. 

The 1960s were turbulent times indeed: the Cuban missile crisis had pushed the United States and Soviet Union to a point of devastating conflict that could eclipse the entire world, while closer in the region, the Sino-Indian and Indo-Pakistan war had disturbed regional peace. Many countries in Asia and Africa were embarking on the path of development after their independence from colonial rule. Meanwhile, Nepal was evolving as a nation after the 1950 revolution and needed a medium to articulate its views clearly in the international arena. TRN was launched primarily to convey the official voice of the state abroad. Besides, there were attempts near and far to present Nepal in a negative light and it was necessary to refute such misinformation so as to let the broader world know the truth. The first editorial of TRN stated that it believed in the ‘ideals of the United Nations and such understanding as the questions between the East and the West’.  

Nationally, TRN served as a bridge between the government and the citizens; it published news reports and opinion pieces about government policies and decisions for ordinary readers and brought the voices of the common people to the notice of policymakers and the government. In the last sixty years, it has been a witness to a series of political changes – from the 1979 student protest followed by a referendum on multiparty politics or reformed Panchayat system, 1990 People’s Movement, Maoist uprising, Second People’s Movement in 2006 and the ouster of the monarchy and establishment of a federal republic and documented them all. Unfortunately, these political upheavals failed to change people’s lives in the true sense. So only this September, the nation saw another unprecedented movement; this time, the Gen Z youths came out in the street to protest entrenched corruption and impunity, though it was ignited by a ban on social media. 

The Gen Z movement was a culmination of the accumulated anger against inaction and impunity. It has laid bare the anomalies that hollowed out the nation over the years and dealt a significant blow to the corrupt and self-serving clique that has remained in power for about three decades. The latest movement has underscored the need to ensure transparency and accountability at all levels of governance for better service delivery to ordinary citizens. Though TRN has reached a mellowed age, it perceives the demands of Gen Z positively. 

TRN has always held a pro-public stance; its duty is to inform the public about the activities of the government and caution the latter whenever it falters. It always embraces fairness and objectivity in its daily operation. Lately, print and other traditional media are facing an existential crisis with the proliferation of social media. But TRN remains undeterred by this blitz as it is mindful of its promise of fairness and objectivity and carries only genuine and verified voices of the countrymen and foreigners who matter. It values rationality and judiciousness over sensationalism, and these virtues will sustain it far into the future.