About Us
The Tibet Post International www.thetibetpost.com E-mail: editor@thetibetpost.com Telephone: +91-988-242-3566
The Tibet Post International (TPI) is an independent online newspaper which provides uncensored news on the developing political, cultural and religious situations in Tibet and within the Tibetan diaspora in exile. It is the only tri-lingual Tibetan news service, publishing all articles in Tibetan, English and simplified Chinese. TPI is based in Dharamsala, northern India – the home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile - and is an accredited partner of Reporters Without Borders (www.rsf.org).
Our Mission
Press Censorship in Tibet and China Press Censorship in Tibet and China
TPI’s mission is to advocate for human rights,
TPI’s plays a vital role in supplying uncensored
freedom of speech, democracy, peace, justice,
information to Tibetan and Chinese people living
political pluralism and rule of law in Tibetan society,
under the rule of the People’s Republic of China
and to give voice to the people of the three Tibetan
(PRC).
provinces of Dhotoe, Dhomey and U-Tsang. It also aims to help Tibetans at home and abroad maintain their cultural and religious values and traditions.
Our Coverage
China restricts information in Tibet by: • Limiting travel and reportage of foreign
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correspondents and human rights reporters. • Maintaining absolute control over all media
Chinese citizens remain largely ill-informed about the Tibetan situation due to the PRC’s restrictions on
within China. • Maintaining control of the internet through a
and censorship of the press. Reporters Without
sophisticated censorship firewall known as the
Our main target readership is Tibetan and Chinese
Borders currently ranks China 174th out of 179
Golden Shield Project.
people living in Tibet, China and in exile. We also
countries in its Press Freedom Index, and lists it as a
reach a wide international audience.
prominent “internet enemy”.
• Punishing informants and dissidents as a
•
•
deterrent, frequently in violation of international law.
The Tibet Post International is an official partner of Reporters Without Borders
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Our Sister Websites TPI has three mono-lingual sister websites – www.shambalapost.com, www.potalapost.com and www.outlooktibet.com – which publish longer and more detailed articles in Tibetan, English and simplified Chinese. The Shambala Post also hosts a blog page, with over 300 active bloggers.
Readership As of April 2012, TPI’s website has received over 14 million visits, with nearly 11 million pages views in 2011 alone. Google Analytics shows that, in 2011, TPI had readers from 117 Tibetan and Chinese cities, including Beijing, Lhasa, Shanghai, Chengdu and Urumqi. The majority of TPI’s readers from Tibet and China access the site via proxy servers outside of Tibet and mainland China. In August 2010, TPI was accredited as a news source by Google News, and its articles can be consistently found in Tibet-related Google News searches. TPI also acts as an unofficial news agency, supplying other Tibet-related news websites with articles and photographs free of charge.
Our Future TPI is the most widely read Tibetan news website. We hope to continue our operations indefinitely, and also aim to play a wider role in the development of Tibetan journalism. The Tibetan media in India, Bhutan and Nepal currently face problems around internet access for the Tibetan public, quality of journalism training, collaboration between Indian and Tibetan journalists, and representation of women in the workforce.
Our Future TPI plans to address these issues by initiating a threeyear project, with the following objectives: • To launch a fortnightly print journal, to be distributed across India, Bhutan and Nepal, and to be available to every Tibetan individual, NGO, and religious, educational and social institution. • To launch a journalism education project, in association with the Tibetan Women’s Association (www.Tibetanwomen.org), to include a schools outreach programme, quarterly journalism training workshops for Tibetan students and media professionals, public forums, internships for Indian and Tibetan students, and student scholarships.
News Contributions We are always happy to receive news of Tibetrelated developments around the world. If you have a story, article, interview, review, photo, or news of an event which you think would be suitable for TPI, please e-mail us at editor@thetibetpost.com. We also regularly welcome volunteer contributors to our office in Dharamsala, and have worked with over 50 international volunteers and interns in the past four years.
During its four years of publication, TPI has covered major developments in Tibet-related issues including: Human rights abuses inside Tibet, such as the Chinese authorities’ ongoing crackdown following the Tibetan uprising in March 2008, which has included police violence, house-to-house raids, arrests, failure to follow judicial procedure, imprisonments and compulsory ‘patriotic reeducation’ programmes. The wave of self-immolations of Tibetans, mainly in eastern Tibet, in protest against the Chinese authorities’ harsh regime and refusal to allow His Holiness the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet. Persecution of Tibetan writers, journalists, academics and activists inside Tibet and China. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings and activities, and the devolution of his political leadership. Developments in Tibetan democracy in India, Bhutan and Nepal, and the Central Tibetan Administration’s ongoing attempts to establish a meaningful dialogue with the PRC. Social, religious and cultural activities of Tibetans living in exile. Developments in international engagement with the Tibet issue.
Supports Us TPI is a not-for-profit organisation, run under the auspices of the Himalayan Literacy Trust (www.himalayanliteracytrust.org). At present it operates on a budget of less than EUR 8,000 per year, has two paid staff journalists, with all other permanent staff, including its Project Manager and Managing Editor, working on a voluntary basis. TPI urgently needs funding to maintain its operations and implement its development plans. If you would like to contribute, as an individual or an organisation, please contact us at editor@thetibetpost.com. We will be happy to supply you with further details of our operations, and discuss possibilities for one-off donations, ongoing granting and sponsorship of specific parts of our projects. The Tibet Post International operates under the auspices of the Himalayan Literacy Trust, registered under Act XXI of 1860, the Himachal Pradesh Government of India (Reg. No: 235/2010).