This news is odd, considering that: a) Nepal has at least 17 large broadsheet English and Nepali dailies. b) It has given licenses to more than 30 FM radio stations, and to about a half a dozen TV stations. c) There's a very active/vocal Federation of Journalists of various stripes who never tire of asserting their "democratic credentials" with pride. So, the question is: Despite all of the above, what has gone wrong for Nepal to be ranked just above a few totalitarian/communist regimes? oohi ashu ************ Nepal 160th in Press Freedom Index KOL Report KATHMANDU, Oct 27 - Nepal has one of the worst press freedom records in the world. The third annual worldwide press freedom index announced by Reporters Without Border on Tuesday has placed Nepal in the 160th position in the entire list of 167. The only other countries falling behind Nepal are Vietnam, China, Eritrea, Turkmenistan, Burma, Cuba and North Korea respectively. The report said that the greatest press freedom was found in northern Europe including Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway terming them a haven of peace for journalists. The index measures the state of press freedom in the world reflecting the degree of freedom journalists and news organizations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the state to respect and ensure respect for this freedom. According to the organization the index was compiled taking account of events of press freedom violations between 1 September 2003 and 1 September 2004. RWB had asked its partner organizations including 14 freedom of expression organizations in five continents, its 130 correspondents around the world, as well as journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists, to answer 52 questions to indicate the state of press freedom in 167 countries. (dds)