Nepali Press under Emergency: A Survey of the First Six Months is an effort by the Centre for Investigative Journalism to understand our capacity as journalists to adequately inform our audience on the conflict that is ravaging the country. Te analysis is based on what the mainstream press—limited to the Nepali-language daily broadsheet dailies here—reported and wrote about during the first six months of the emergency starting 26 November, 2001. It attempts to gauge the effectiveness of press coverage in terms of accuracy, fairness and balance in order to assess whether the newspapers with the widest reach have or have not helped increase our understanding of the crisis. Well-informed decisions can result only from sound understanding. This is why the quality of media coverage is vital for conflict resolution and peacemaking, which, we believe, is what every Nepali wants. The media can aid the process through fair, impartial and wholesome coverage.

The Centre for Investigative Journalism believes this booklet will prove useful to journalists since it provides a basis to look back and reflect on what the Nepali public was reading during the period covered by the survey. Apart from helping the general reader understand how the media functions in general, this book will also come in handy for journalism trainers in designing investigative and conflict-sensitive reporting training programmes since it is replete with examples of what should be done and what needs to be avoided.