Media under Threat : Trends & Cases of Press Freedom in Nepal
This report examines the current status of constitutionally guaranteed rights such as press freedom and freedom of expression. The cases documented and data categorized based on Media Action Nepal’s indicators clearly show that the year was unsatisfactory in terms of
press freedom, with nearly three dozen cases of press freedom violations reported. It ranges from threatening to the seizure of equipment. Journalists were forced to change careers due to the Working Journalists Act (WJA)’s poor implementation, or they were subjected to censorship or content compromise. Nepal’s WJA stipulates a minimum salary that media houses must pay their editorial staff. However, in reality, this salary table is rarely followed when paying journalists. Because of this, the profession is not financially rewarding, which puts pressure on journalists’ independence and ethical standards. Several women journalists left the profession, although we got data on only 29 women journalists leaving journalism. Similarly, it has also been found that journalists reporting on the environment often face threats. A photo journalist was illegally arrested in Parbat district on charge of cybercrime, while the reason for the arrest was something else related to the Savekaligandaki movement. This year’s World Press Freedom Day theme is Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis. It is crucial that the significance of journalists working in the environmental sector be enhanced and secured. Likewise, the report also examined the state of impunity. It found that so far, only five journalists, 39 from conflict era times, have gotten justice.