The Nepal Weekly 
June 3, 2025
The Press Council Nepal has published a comprehensive book titled ”History of Nepali Media: From Print to Digital Era,” which covers all aspects of the media landscape from the past to the present – around 60 years. The publication highlights the challenges added in every era of journalism, how the media overcame them, its development, and the role it played in major historical events. The book is in fact documenting the evolution of Nepali journalism over six decades.
The book was launched jointly by Minister for Education, Science, and Technology, Raghuji Panta, Secretary at Ministry of Communication Radhika Aryal, Chairperson of Press Council Nepal Bal Krishna Basnet, Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) president Nirmala Sharma, and senior journalist Ram Krishna Regmee. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Panta remarked that Nepal enjoys greater press freedom compared to many South Asian countries, noting that journalists here are neither disappearing nor losing jobs for their reporting. He stressed the need to protect hard-won press freedom and called for cooperation among media stakeholders to strengthen journalism institutions. As a former FNJ general secretary, Press Council board member, and editor of various newspaper, Minister Panta also emphasized the importance of editorial responsibility and maintaining credibility in journalism.
Secretary Radhika Aryal said recent changes in the media landscape marked significant milestones, and called for broader discussions on content and its societal impact. She urged the media sector to reflect deeply on journalism’s role in social transformation.
Chairperson of PCN Basnet noted that the book captures the realities of journalism’s past, its struggles, and truths, cautioning that trust in journalism is weakening due to misinformation and baseless reporting. He also announced plans to publish an English version of the book. FNJ president Nirmala Sharma expressed concern that the credibility of Nepali media may be declining in the digital era, stressing the need to combat misinformation with awareness and responsibility. Senior journalist Ram Krishna Regmee, in his critical remarks, called for meaningful dialogue between veteran and emerging journalists, noting that this is the first comprehensive historical account of Nepali journalism in nearly six decades. Regmee said that the issue of media freedom is more important than freedom of expression. He stressed a need for meaningful dialogue to connect the old and new generation of journalists.
Regmee said that although the roles and responsibilities of print, television, radio and news portals have changed over time, the main goal is to inform and raise awareness among readers and listeners.
The publication chronicles the evolution of Nepali media from the early print era to the present-day digital landscape. It features research-based articles by media scholars and journalists including Dr. Kundan Aryal, Dr. Raghu Mainali, Dr. Jagat Nepal, Tirtha Koirala, Shubhechha Bindu Tuladhar, Ujjwal Acharya, Bhuvan KC, and Rudra Khadka. The book highlights the struggles, transformation, and current challenges of Nepali journalism.
Edited by Council chairperson Basnet, with Shriram Singh Basnet, Jhabindra Bhusal, and Deepak Khanal on the editorial team, the book is seen as a significant contribution to media history in Nepal. In the programme participated in by more than 180 media professionals, president of FNJ Nirmala Sharma, acting editor-in-chief of Gorkhapatra Daily Junar Babu Basnet, Kantipur Television Bijay Poudel and other editors from various medias shared their views on Nepali journalism and its challenges and opportunities.
