Media freedom in Bhutan is completely absent. Even the freedom of expression is not allowed. Since the state bans any form of organizations to exist, institutions working for press freedom is also lack their presence in Bhutan.

The government bars people from criticizing the acts of the government or raising question on Royal family members and King. The Driglam Nam Zha (its so-called dress and language code) and such other traditional laws define any one as terrorist or anti-nationals if found spoken against the government or the royal family members. Right to speech, yet to be clarified, is unlawfully restricted.

Legal provisions

There is no law or rules and regulations regarding press. The government has said it has drafted a new media act but is yet to be made public. The recently drafted constitution mentions only two statements regarding press freedom in the country as basic rights of the people.

Article 7

Fundamental Rights

2. A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech, opinion and expression.

3. A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement.

4. There shall be freedom of press, radio and television and other forms dissemination of information, including electronic.

5. A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to information.

There is no guarantee that government would censor the news items that are ready for publication or broadcast or telecast. Also the government has not guaranteed that any print or electronic media would not be banned just for publishing news item. Provision like no criticism of the royal family members or writing against the sovereignty of the country would be excuse for the state authority to take actions against media organizations or journalists.

There are various acts like citizenship act 1985 for instance, which control or restrict the state of press freedom in the country.

According National Assembly Rule no. 11, drafted in 1953, every member of the legislature shall have the full right and privilege to express his thought in the Assembly. No rule or law can interfere with the member's freedom of expression.

But citizenship act 1958, amended in 1977, states anyone having acquired Bhutanese citizenship involve in the act against the king or speaking against the royal government or being in association with the people involve in activities against the Royal government shall be deprived of the citizenship. (TA penalty for violation of rule). Similarly, Citizenship Act 1985 says any citizen of Bhutan who has acquired the citizenship at any time, if the person has shown by act or speech to be disloyal in any manner whatsoever to king, country and people of Bhutan, his citizenship will be seized.

State of state media

Government owns all three media: the radio, TV and a weekly newspaper. The weekly Kuensel is published in three major languages of the country: Dzongkha, English and Nepali. Government officials censor all the news to be published or broadcasted or telecasted. Even other programs of the radio and television and most of the articles on the newspaper are administered by government. The radio and TV are controlled by Bhutan Broadcasting Services while the Kuensel is run by Kuensel Corporation.

There was no voice for press freedom in the past. In was only in 1990 that freedom of press and right to information was demanded. Bhutan People’s Party demonstrated demanding press freedom in 1990. Most of the other parties formed later also advocated for press freedom.

People working in media in Bhutan receive short term journalism training from Britain, The Netherlands, India and Singapore.

Publication of two weekly newspapers has begun recently. The Bhutan Times started its publication from Thimphu on April 30 while the Bhutan Observer came to the market o June 2, coinciding the coronation ceremony of the king. These two publications have started after king personally called for initiation of private publication in Bhutan in October last year.

A large section of the Bhutanese people feel the need of a strong and independent media houses or any organization working for their right to speech and expression. It is necessary because right to speech is one of the elements of human rights states must guarantee to its citizens.

Since democratic values and people's rights cannot be safeguarded in absence of independent media environment, APFA-Bhutan strives to pave way for institutionalizing a vibrant media working in close co-ordination with the political forces and government bodies. It was long felt that Bhutanese movement should have strong media organization to disseminate information and advocate in a larger sphere. Thus, member of young generation who were deeply concerned about situation of media in Bhutan and having keen interest in journalism formed the association after acquiring various trainings.

Electronic Media

Radio
As of April 2004, BBS FM radio service is available in 15 dzongkhags. nstallation of FM transmitter in the rest of the 5 dzongkhags will be completed by the end of the current five year plan.

Radio service (NYAB radio) in Bhutan started in November 1973 in the initiation of youths who formed National Youth Association of Bhutan (NYAB) led by a Royal female member. The station was operational only on Sundays with 30 minutes of news in English and music. The NYAB club office was transformed to announcing studio on weekends and increased to an hour a week after a few weeks’ trial. The 400-watt transmitter was rented from a local telegraph office. The station was called Radio NYAB.

In 1979, the Royal Government recognizing the importance of the radio for development embraced the station under the Ministry of Communications. Then it started three-hour program on every Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday: 1.5 hours in Dzongkha and 0.5 hours each in Nepali (Lhotsamkha), Sarchopkha (Tshangla) and English.

In 1986 Development Support Communication Division (later changed to Development Communication Corporation) was set up to help for the development of media. With the commissioning of a 10kw short-wave transmitter and a small broadcast studio, Radio NYAB was renamed as Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) in the same year. Daily broadcasting was introduced with three hours of programming that reflected the national character. Radio was then controlled by BBS. BBS/DSCD worked jointly under MoC until 1992 when they were transformed to corporation. In the same year UNESCO also provided BBS 10W SW transmitter. The radio transmission reached to most part of the country.

In 1991 radio station relocated to India sponsored new complex with 50w SW transmitter. Since then, its programs reached 30 hours per week. To strengthen the radio service to al parts of the country, government initiated the establishment of FM station merely means for relay of national broadcast. In 1987 local FM stations were set up in Thimphu with the aid of UNESCO. (96 and 98 MHz). In 1989-92 period DANIDA and UNESCO provided 1.14 million assistance for development of media in Bhutan.

In March 1991 that BBS acquired a permanent seat and a professional look with the commissioning of a 50kw short-wave transmitter station and a studio complex-cum-office block.

In June 2000, BBS introduced FM radio service for Western Bhutan as well with the inauguration of the main FM station at Dobchula and yet another one at Takti in the south. The FM service was extended to central Bhutan in January 2001 and plans are underway to cover the whole country by the end of the ninth five-year plan.

At present broadcast, the radio has 12 hours broadcast service including 1.5 hours traditional music only; 4.5 hours in Dzongkha, and 2 hours each in Nepali (Lhotsamkha), Sarchhopkha and English.

Technical Information
Short wave Radio
Transmitter Power: 50 KW SW
Broadcast Transmitter: SK 45 F3
Broadcast Frequency: 49 meter band 6035 KHZ

FM Network
Dobchula Main Station: Standby Reserve Configuration 1+1 KW
Frequency: 88.1 MHz
Areas served: Punakha, Gasa, Wangdi Phodrang
Frequency: 96 MHz:
Areas served: Thimphu
Takti Relay Station: 1 KW
Frequency: 98 MHz
Areas served: Chukha and Mongar
Yotula Relay Station: 1 KW
Frequency: 93 MHz
Frequency: 90 MHz
Areas served: for parts of Trashigang & Mongar
Areas served: Bumthang, Trongsa
Jabji Relay Station: 20 W
Frequency: 92 MHz
Areas served: Paro valley, Phuentsholing, Tsirang, Samtse and Trashigang
Kharbandi Relay Station: 20W
And 49 mband 6035 KHz Shortwave(SW)v

Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) has seven-member National Editorial Board with 130 employees, 1/3 of them in administration section. Government provides all most all funds for its functioning.

Apart from giving the daily news bulletin in four languages (Dzongkha, Sharchop, Lhotsamkha and English) in radio and in Dzongkha and English on television, BBS devotes 75 percent of its programming on development issues such as new farming methods, health and hygiene, environment preservation, distance education, rural development, women and child care.

Bhutan Broadcasting Service, established in 1973 and given its current name in 1986, operated under the auspices of the Department of Information; it offered thirty hours a week of shortwave radio programming in Dzongkha, Sharchopkha, Nepali, and English. There was daily FM programming in Thimphu and shortwave reception throughout the rest of the nation in the early 1990s. There were also two stations used exclusively for communications with Bhutan's embassies in New Delhi and Dhaka and thirteen stations used by hydrologists and meteorologists.

Television
There were no television stations in Bhutan before the commissioning of national TV in 1999. A 1989 royal decree banned the viewing of foreign television by mandating the dismantling of antennas. The government wanted to prevent Indian and Bangladeshi broadcasts from reaching Bhutan's citizens. Even after the introducing the national TV channels, the government has banned some of the international and Indian TV channels stating they would erode the cultural identity of Bhutan.

Audio-visual programme started in 1981 with DSCD. It made films and documentaries on life, culture and religion (development oriented). But the programme was stopped in 1996. In 1998, a large screen was fixed at the Thimphu stadium to watch world cup through Indian televisions.

The national television service was started in June 2, 1999, that was announced to be established in April 1998. In the initial days, it telecasted one hour a day. The telecast increased to two hours per day from June 2002. The television was established to commemorate the Silver Jubilee reign of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. Presently, the television service is available for the residents of Thimphu.

Print media

Kuensel is published every Saturday from Thimphu by the Kuensel Corporation. It is distributed throughout the country by a string of sales agents appointed in all the Dzongkhags, Dungkhags and towns.

Kuensel readers are, generally, people with highly placed social and economic standings within the community and expatriates, posted in diplomatic missions, international organizations and multinational companies.

Bhim Bahadur Rai and Suk Man Rai started the publication of the paper in 1961 in Nepali as a monthly (hand written). From 1964 they used litho. From 1969 printing of the newspaper started in English and Nepali from Kalimpong in India form Moni Printing Press.

In 1974, a press machine was bought and installed in Thimphu after which the paper is printed here. Soon the Japanese technicians prepared Dzongkha letter blocks and the paper started its Dzongkha version as well.

In 1986 Kuensel was reformatted under the same title and also published weekly as Bhutan's only newspaper. Published by the Ministry of Communications' Department of Information, Kuensel had a total circulation in 1988 of 12,500 and was published in Dzongkha, Nepali, and English. Indian and other foreign newspapers also were available. Bhutan's low literacy rate, however, means that the print media does not affect the majority of the population. Oral tradition is very strong, however, and radio broadcasts are widely listened to.

There are around a dozen persons working with the paper as government employees. Secretary at the Ministry of Communication chairs the editorial team.

In 1979, Druk Losel (Quarterly) started in the editorship of Gauri Shankar Adhikari in two languages. After 19 issues in 1983 when an historical article on the relationship between Bhutan and Nepal was published, the publication was banned.

Publications from outside Bhutan attempted to raise voices of dissidents. Political parties, human rights bodies or such other social organizations coordinated the early publications. But due to financial constraints and lack of skilled manpower, all these publications never survived for more than one year.

Publications outside Bhutan attempted to raise voices of dissidents. In 1971-72-Hari Prasad Adhikari published one issue of Ammar Bhutan, and in 1991, he brought out the bulletin with financial support from PFHRB and HUROB from Dalle Aahal in Assam.

He also edited Mukti on the eve of demonstrations in southern Bhutan in 1990 supported by BPP in but all copies of the paper lost on the way to Bhutan.

In 1991, HUROB published Manav Adhikarko Chirharan. From 1 December 1990 SUB brought out Bhutan Focus in Nepali and English but it also closed in 1993 and few issues were printed again in 2001 and 2002.

From 15 March 1991, Bhutani Aawaj was published fortnightly from Birtamode edited by Balaram Poudyal. It was closed after 1995. For almost a decade since 1993, Bhutan Bidhyrthi Chhatra Sangathan published Bhutani Nawa Sandesh from Banaras.

From 1993, PFHRD published Bhutan Observer. It was closed after S. K. Pradhan was arrested in connection to the murder of BPP president R K Budathoki in 2001.

Between 1993 and 1995, Bhutan Review was published by Bhim Subba. Since 1994, Nepali Sahitya Parishad Bhutan (earlier Nepali Bhasha Parishad) has been publishing annual Bhutani Kopila.

For almost five years, AHURA Bhutan published Refugee Post beginning 1995, though its frequency was uncertain. Between, March 96 and December 96, SUB brought out The SUB Bridges (Fortnightly)

In 96 Quarterly publication Dragon Times published by YOB was seen for few times. With support from Mangala Sharma, The Struggle (monthly) was published in 1997-98, edited by Jogen Gazamere (UFD).

DNC publishes Bhutan Today (monthly).

Ammar Bhutan, Mukti, Manav Adhikarko Chirharan, Bhutan Focus, Bhutani Aawaj, Bhutani Nawa Sandesh, Bhutan Observer, Bhutan Review, Bhutani Kopila, Refugee Post, The SUB Bridges, Dragon Times, The Struggle and Bhutan Today are some of the publication seen in exile.

The Shangrila SANDESH began in January 2001, weekly Sandesh in December 2000 and Bhutan Jagaran in November 2000. Editorial team of these papers had received short-term training in various institutions in Nepal.
Bhutan Times was seen in market. Naulo Aawaj weekly is another weekly another paper being circulated among the Bhutanese community at present.

Association of Press Freedom Activists publishes The Bhutan Reporter since October 2004.

Online
There are very few online news portals that give news on Bhutan. Kuensel has kuenseloneline.com while APFA Bhutan runs www.apfanews.com. bhutantimes.com, bhutannewsonline.com, bhootan.org are some of the news site that updates news related to Bhutan published in various other international media.