Journalism & Mass Communication
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Item Agenda-Setting Role of Nepali Newspapers during Election(2025) Dahal, Rishikesh; Parsuram KharelThe first multi-party general election in Nepal held in 1959, saw minimal involvement from the media. Newspapers, at the time, did not play an Agenda-setting role. The restoration of democracy in 1991 introduced liberal media policies, allowing for the growth of privately-owned newspapers. Over time, these newspapers gained prominence during elections. However, the role of Nepali newspapers in Agenda setting, as defined by McCombs and Shaw in 1972, remains underexplored. This study analyzes the Agenda-setting function of Nepali newspapers during elections, focusing on their coverage of campaigns, voter engagement with election-related news, and the strategies employed by political actors to shape public opinion in the age of social media. The Agenda-setting theory posits that topics repeatedly highlighted in the news become established as agendas, shaping public discourse and laying the foundation for policy work. Building on Dearing and Rogers’ Agenda-setting theory, the study investigates the interplay among media, public, and policy agendas. It employs a qualitative driven mixed-method research design, combining content analysis, surveys, and case studies. A total of 602 news articles were analyzed, alongside surveys with 338 voters, and manifesto reviews of the two major political parties—the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UML). A case study on social media influence during elections was conducted to contextualize traditional media's role within the evolving media ecosystem. Furthermore, the findings were triangulated through 14 key informant interviews (KIIs) with experts, ensuring a comprehensive analysis. The findings reveal that while Nepali newspapers emphasize democratic values in their election reporting, they often fail to address the public concern issues. viii Coverage tends to be event-driven, with a primary focus on the Election Commission (EC) and government activities. Public trust in newspapers is moderate but declines significantly regarding perceptions of political impartiality. Policy agendas are rarely prioritized, and political manifestos frequently feature repetitive and unfulfilled promises. Moreover, media impartiality is often compromised, with private newspapers leaning toward opposition parties and government-run newspapers favoring the ruling coalition. The study also identifies emerging challenges by social media as political parties increasingly shift their focus to virtual platforms for disseminating their agendas. This shift has diluted the legacy media’s Agenda-setting role, particularly in shaping policy discourse. Nepali newspapers are found to lack follow-up on electoral promises and fail to address the everyday concerns of the public. News reporting remains centered on political elites, reflecting a skewed representation of voices and issues. From a theoretical perspective, the study underscores the limited effectiveness of Agenda-setting theory in the Nepali context due to weak linkages among the media, the public, and political actors. While the media holds the potential to transform public concerns into actionable policy agendas, the disconnection among these elements restricts its impact on public opinion and policymaking. For Nepali newspapers to fulfill their Agenda-setting role effectively, balanced and inclusive reporting on public affairs is essential. The findings have significant implications for media practitioners, political parties, election authorities, and policymakers, offering a roadmap for improving media practices and strengthening Nepal’s democratic system. By addressing gaps in electoral coverage and engaging more meaningfully with public concerns, the media can better contribute to a vibrant and accountable democracy.Item Forms and Causes of Media Capture in Nepal and Its Manifestation in Newspaper Content(2025) Bhattarai, Binod; Kundan AryalMedia capture is the sellout by media/journalists of their responsibility in exchange of monetary and non-monetary favors from the government, businesses, and other interest groups. Captured media produce and disseminate content that is neither accurate and fair, nor impartial, or they disregard the basic standards for journalism production. Instead, they produce and disseminate information – even, disinformation – as desired by the capturers. In practical terms, capture in democracies substitutes brute force that authoritarian states use to rein media for the purpose of accessing or remaining in power. Most studies on media capture by economists have resorted to quantitative analysis and economic modelling methodologies, while others have undertaken political economy analyses. This study has attempted to understand capture, using a qualitative approach – analysis of attributes of journalism drawing data from published testimonies, interviews and document reviews. It has also undertaken critical discourse analysis of media texts and includes a case study – to understand the forms of capture and its manifestation in newspaper content. Key informant interviews were used to validate the findings from data analysis. This approach primarily builds on the media capture paradigm, underlying which are multiple streams of scholarship such as political economy analysis, Critical Theory, and the Foucauldian understanding of power and how it influences social interactions. The main findings are summarized as follows: (a) Political capture has resulted from partisanship among journalists and party-affiliated journalists’ associations where politicians in government reward compliant media/journalists with handouts from state coffers, and by appointing journalists as public relations advisors or staff at state media agencies; (b) another form of capture takes place through advertising using which both government and businesses can influence viability and profitability of media in a market that is dominated by a few large advertisers, of which the government has a roughly one-third share. Circumstantial evidence suggests that advertisers even pay for content in addition to exchanging advertising for favorable coverage. Some media willingly participate in capture, because it allows the owners to extract policy favors from politicians for other businesses they own, in exchange for favorable coverage; and (c). Journalists/media payback for the favors by not-reporting, reporting selectively – even reporting alternative facts – and by killing news not favorable to their patrons. Briefly, the main conclusions of the study are as follows: The growing partiality and inaccuracy in media content and the resulting – often significant – biases are attributable to political party affiliations of journalists, and this engenders capture. Further, the framing and tonal choices in coverage, as well as the selection and suppression of content, results from unprofessional conduct – often induced by secretive (covert) monetary or non-monetary favors (exchanges) between various interest groups and media/journalists. The integrity of information in newspapers/media has been compromised, and this can be attributed to various influences that interact with news production and dissemination, or media capture. Governments use funding from state coffers to support compliant media and journalists, the payback for which is positive coverage or ignorance of issues that could project the benefactors in a negative light. Both government and businesses use advertising to influence content, which is possible in media environments with few large advertisers and a large number of non-viable media. Nepali journalism has, in effect, been unable to sever ties with partisan journalism – often touted as “mission” journalism – and adopt professionalism, which is manifested in manipulated, biased and distorted content.Item Sports news coverage on television media of nepal(2013) Thapa, Anuj; Badri paudelAvailable in fulltextItem Broadcast media management: practices in radio and television in Nepal(2025) Bista, Janardan; Shyam Bahadur KatuwalThis study examines the management practices within broadcast media organizations in Nepal, a subject of ongoing interest due to the media's profound societal impact. It aims to assess the management strategies of these organizations, identify areas for enhancement, and understand media managers' perspectives on media management's unique nature. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative and quantitative data collection through surveys, interviews, and observations. The main focus of the study is to assess the management practices in broadcast media organizations of Nepal to identify areas for improvement. The study also intends to have an understanding of media managers' perspectives on the field of media management. The research involved a questionnaire survey with 100 media managers from various radio and TV stations, and in-depth interviews with ten interviewees including broadcast media managers, broadcast media management scholars and experts. The study finds that 90 percent broadcast media managers heard of the term media management, 78 percent acknowledge that media management refers to the overall management of media organizations, 59 percent understand the goal of media organization as public service with reasonable profit, 91 percent agree that each media product is distinct, 100 percent agree that media should be accountable to public, 97 percent agree media industry is creative, indicating their satisfactory level of knowledge on the concept and meaning of media management. The findings of this research indicate that although Nepali broadcast media managers are familiar with the principles of media management and employ democratic and participatory management styles, they struggle to effectively apply these practices. Modern technology and standardized human resource practices are significantly used, but foundational management knowledge is lacking, leading to financial difficulties due to insufficient revenue generation. Smaller media entities, often family-run, face additional institutionalization challenges. The findings further highlight that media managers have also utilized computers and the latest technology in their organizations, and they have practiced human resource management with a universally accepted free and fair recruitment process on a merit basis. However, they are still lagging in instilling the fundamental knowledge of management in their organizations. They are involved in planning, organizing, leading, and controlling in one way or another but cannot practice these aspects properly in their organizations to avoid the survival problems resulting from insufficient revenue generation. The study further highlights that most broadcast media organizations, except some corporate and state-owned entities, are experiencing financial crises due to ineffective management and insufficient revenue generation. Moreover, smaller broadcast media outlets, such as FM radio and local TV stations, often remain unstructured and are typically operated by family members. Keywords: Broadcast media, general management, media management, media economics, mixed methods.Item News sourcing in Nepali Radio Broadcasting(2024) Luitel, Ghama Raj; Rajkumar PokhrelAvailable in fulltextItem Communication patterns among Muslim community an exploratory study(2013) Ansari, Gani; Prabal Raj PokhrelThis research explores communication patterns among the Muslim community. Every act as well as communication that a Muslim makes is looked upon from religious point of view. As Islam has shaped living ways of Muslims, it has also influenced the communication behavior of the Muslim community. Communication patterns among Muslims are also shaped by their religion, Islam. Muslims have their own way of greeting each other. They have their own way of celebrating festivals, holding wedding ceremony, welcoming to new born baby and funeral rites, among other activities. At the time of such activities, whatever a Muslim speaks and passes comments are in the line with Islamic tradition. In the five time prayers each day, in some act transpersonal communication occurs while in some acts two-way communication occurs and instant feedback is also found. In the weekly Friday prayer mass communication occurs as the Imam delivers sermon before Farz prayer (obligatory ones) begins. Both mass communication and transpersonal communication occur during annual prayers of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha, two major festivals in Islam. Mass communication also occurs when Ijtima (religious gathering) is held. Imams and scholars deliver sermons about Islam by relating them with contemporary issues. Sermons are aimed at motivating Muslims to do each and every act in accordance with the teachings of the holy Qur’an and Sunnah. If we talk about channels used by Muslims to deliver Islamic messages, they use various channels. Transpersonal communication occurs when a Muslims enters to a bathroom, exit from there, when he or she begins to have meal, after having meal, when sneezing, before beginning a journey, when looking into mirror, when seeing a bad dream, when using new cloths, before sleeping and when waking up, when there is thunderclap. Allah, in the holy Qur’an, commands to hold consultation before taking crucial decision in family or other affairs.Item नेपालकाे लाेकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र स्थापनामा पत्रपत्रिकाकाे याेगदान {Nepalko loktanrik ganatantra sthapanama patrapatrikako yogdan}(मानविकी तथा समाजशास्त्र संकाय, पत्रकारिता तथा आमसञ्चार, 2024) नेपाल Nepal, जगत JagatAvailable with full textItem Coverage of children's issues in print media(Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, 2022) Gautam, Kedar NathA general analysis of children's coverage (literature, art works, opinion-views and other creative works) and writings on children published in 60 regular issues of Gorkhapatra and Kantipur Nepali national dailies within two month is conducted in the dissertation. Readership trend of secondary level (class eight to twelve) students and their teachers also is surveyed by filling the questionnaire forms. This study comprises qualitative and quant itative content analysis, survey and key informant int erviews to know the status and trend of the children-related contents and even the status of writings on children. This dissertation is mainly researched and prepared by content analysis method. In order to complete it, survey and key informant interviews (KIIs) methods have also been conducted. Findings and conclusions of this study have been drawn as a combined summary of all of these methods. The study is categorized into five chapters and several sub-chapters. General background, objectives and significance of the study are included in the first chapter. Second chapter deals with literature review form various books, reports, journals and websites. In third chapter, methodologies used in the research are discussed in detail. Analysis and interpretation of data and main part of the thesis as a who le is the fourth chapter. In fifth chapter, the major findings, conclusion and recommendations are made on the basis of the analysis and interpretation of data are included and discussed.Item Print media and people's movement 2006 in Nepal(Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Journalism and Mass Communication, 2024) Aryal, Deb RajAvailable with full textItem A study on public relations practice during Covid-19 pandemic in Nepal(Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, 2023) Basnet, SujataThe very nature of public relations maintaining goodwill between an organization and it's various stakeholders requires a high degree of professionalism. This research was done on how the Ministry of Health and Population established public relations during the Covid epidemic. The time of the covid epidemic was a kind of crisis time. This research has revealed how the Ministry of Health and Population established public relations at that time. At that time, when people were physically, mentally and emotionally weak, common people believed the information of the Ministry of Health and Population. The official information received from the Ministry's website was very important. People rely on official websites to get various information. It was forbidden to walk outside during covid. At that time, it was also the responsibility of the ministry to provide accurate and official information to the common people.Item नेपालमा कटवाल सञ्चार विधिको प्रयोग : डोटी जिल्लाको एक अध्ययन(2023-03-29) Bahadur Rokaya, Gautamशदियौँदेखि परम्परागत सञ्चार विधिहरु नेपाली समाजमा प्रयोगमा छन् र उपयोगी पनि छन् तर यस्ता सञ्चार विधिहरुको बारेमा खोज गरी सञ्चार क्षेत्रको दायरा फराकिलो पार्ने कार्य भएको पाइँदैन । यस्ता सञ्चार विधिहरु बहुमुल्य सामाजिक सम्पत्ति भएपनि परम्परागत मान्यता, प्रथा आदि दृष्टिकोणबाट ओझेलमा परेका छन् । नेपाली समाजमा कायम ध्वनीमा आधारित परम्परागत विभिन्न सञ्चार विधिहरुमध्ये कटवाल सञ्चार विधिलाई विगतमा सरकारी सञ्चार माध्यम सरह मान्यता दिइएकाले नेपाली समाजमा यसको सामाजिक, ऐतिहासिक र प्रशासनिक महत्व छ । यस अध्ययनमा कटवाल सञ्चार विधि प्रयोगको विगत र वर्तमान अवस्था आदिका बारेमा खोजी गर्ने प्रयास गरिएको छ । यसका लागि कटवाल सञ्चार विधिका बारेमा जानकार व्यक्तिहरु, कटुवाल, पत्रकार आदि गरी १५ जनासँग अन्तर्वार्ता लिई तथ्याङ्क संकलन गरिएको छ । यस क्रममा पर्व, उत्सव निमन्त्रणा, मृत्यु–मलामी, धार्मिक कार्यहरु, समाजिक कार्यमा, सरकारी काम, विपद् तथा महामारी सम्वन्धी सूचनाहरुको जानकारी दिन यो सञ्चार विधिले महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका खेलेको पाइएको छ । कटवालको परम्परागत शैलीमा परिवर्तन आएको छ । वर्तमानमा कटवालले सूचना सम्प्रेषण गर्दा हाते माइक तथा आधुनिक ध्वनीवर्धक यन्त्रहरुको समेत प्रयोग गरेको पाईन्छ । साथै विभिन्न धुनहरु मिसाई सन्देशहरुलाई श्रुतिमधुर बनाई आधुनिक ध्वनीवर्धक यन्त्रमार्फत बजाउने परिपाटीको पनि विकास भएको छ । यसलाई कटुवालको परम्परागत शैलीमा रुपान्तरण भएको मान्न सकिन्छ । वर्तमान समयमा आधुनिक सञ्चार माध्यमको बढ्दो प्रयोगले परम्परागत सञ्चार विधिहरु ओझेलमा परेका भएपनि बहुभाषा र संस्कृतिको धनी हाम्रो समाजमा एउटै भाषाको प्रयोग गरी सूचना प्रसारण गर्दा प्रभावकारी नहुने भएकाले आवश्यकता अनुसार आधुनिक र परम्परागत दुवै सञ्चार विधिहरुको समयानुसार प्रयोग हुँदा सूचना सबैको पहुँचमा हुने देखिन्छ ।Item Coverage of transgender issues in the daily newspapers of Nepal(Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, 2023) Karki, JebiccaThe transgender community's visibility and representation in media play a crucial role in fostering societal acceptance and understanding. This study examines the extent to which Nepal's leading newspapers prioritize the transgender community through their news coverage. The research aims to shed light on the frequency and depth of stories related to transgender individuals, offering insights into the media's role in shaping public perceptions. The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the priority given to the transgender community by Nepal's prominent daily newspapers in terms of news coverage. The study seeks to uncover whether newspapers adequately address the issues faced by transgender individuals, thus contributing to the broader discourse on media's influence on social inclusion. A comprehensive six-month study was conducted utilizing a mixed-methods approach. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were employed to comprehensively analyze the content of leading Nepali daily newspapers. Samples of news articles were collected and systematically analyzed to gauge the prevalence and depth of coverage on transgender topics. Additionally, Key Informant Interviews (KII) were conducted with five media experts to glean their perspectives on the issue. The analysis of collected data revealed a significant gap in the coverage of transgender community-related issues within Nepali newspapers. English-language newspapers demonstrated a modest effort in covering stories related to transgender individuals. However, no such stories were identified within the Nepali-language newspapers. The interviews with media experts provided consistent feedback, indicating a consensus that the coverage of transgender news and narratives in Nepali newspapers is insufficient. This study underscores the inadequate attention given to transgender issues in Nepali newspapers. The findings align with the experts' consensus that more equitable coverage is needed, akin to the prominence afforded to women's issues. The study emphasizes the pivotal role of journalists in creating a safe space for transgender individuals to share their stories openly and without fear of societal backlash. It also highlights the experts' recommendation for broader and more inclusive coverage of transgender concerns, fostering their normalization and integration into the fabric of society. Ultimately, this research contributes to the ongoing dialogue on media's role in shaping perceptions of marginalized communities and advocates for a more inclusive approach to news coverage.Item कक्षाकोठा शिक्षणमा सञ्चारको योगदान {Kakshakotha shikshanama sancharko yogadan}(मानविकी तथा सामाजिक शास्त्र सङ्काय, पत्रकारिता तथा आमसञ्चार, 2023) मैनाली Mainali, रघु RaghuAvailable with full textItem Right to information policy implementation in Nepal(Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences ,Journalism and Mass Communication, 2023) Paudel, Shree RamAlthough Nepal introduced right to information (RTI) as a fundamental right in the constitution in 1990, it took 17 years for legal arrangements to be made. Right to Information Act (RTIA) enacted in 2007 to ensure citizens' right to obtain information on any issue pertaining to public bodies. It has been one and a half decades since Nepal saw the RTI regime. Implementation of public policies has become an issue of enormous concern in many developing countries including Nepal. Now it attracts the interest of research as to how RTI policy is implemented. The degree of RTI policy implementation is the main research question of this study. Nepal has emphasized open government through the implementation of RTI since 1990. There is a wider attention of all government and non-government institutions, which are the prime focus for disseminating information for the open government as demanded by citizens. The study uses the Van Meter and Van Horn model to measure the degree of RTI policy implementation, which includes policy formation, policy standards and objectives, resources, characteristics of implementing agencies, inter-organizational communication and enforcement activities, economic, social and political conditions, disposition of implementers, and performance. Likewise, indicators —confidence, professional image, and performance — for institutional trust are considered to test existing institutional Nepali mechanism for implementing RTI policy. The study employs a mixed research (Quan-qual) approach. It is based on an explanatory approach, which identifies the cause-and-effect relationship of the policy implementation. For the quantitative analysis, a survey questionnaire filled up by 315 out of 2153 journalists systematically through an online survey. After quantitative analysis, key informant interviews carried out for the analysis of this study. The study identifies 15 indicators for the analysis of RTI implementation which is the dependent variable. These indicators include proactive disclosure of information, classification of information, access to information, training and orientation, appointment of Information Officer, and other provisions of RTIA. For the policy implementation mechanism, this study analyses policy standards, resources, inter-organizational coordination and communication, characteristics of implementing agencies, and disposition of implementers for RTI policy implementation as independent variables. Likewise, institutional trust is the second independent variable responsible for RTI implementation, in this study, the relationship between institutional trust and RTI policy implementation is examined. Public institutions' trust, their professionalism, and the behavioral pattern of civil servants are sub-variables of the institutional trust. The study finds that the RTIA is not implemented properly in public organizations, and the range of indicators has a wide range, with a standard deviation of 1.2 on the Likert scale of 1 to 4. The fluctuation of these indicators is caused by hidden factors such as legal controversies, an apathetic culture of bureaucrats, frequent transfer of civil servants, and lack of punishment to the defaulter. Among variables for the mechanism, policy standards of the public institution influence RTI policy implementation at significant level. The availability of resources is found as crucial factor for RTI. Although policy clarity, resource availability, and organizational communication are found at a significant level whereas the characteristics of implementing agencies and the cognition of implementers are creating a hurdle to RTIA implementation effectively. Similarly, institutional trust is correlated to RTI implementation. Among the variables for institutional trust, confidence in the public institution has a significant role in RTIA implementation whereas confidence in media-related institution stands positive but not significant. Likewise, the performance-based trust in civil service has also positive but not to a significant level for RTI. On the flip side, the professional trust of public servants as well as journalists has negative influence. RTIA implementation is not found effective as expected due to lack of professional trust among the public servants. In the accumulation of both mechanism and institutional related variables, RTIA implementation is not effective due to cognition of implementers- civil servants, and the professional image of both civil servants and journalists cause negative influence. In this study professional trust and civil service trust find below the expected level, which is creating hurdles for RTIA implementation even though people have trust in the public institutions. The study concludes that the whole phenomenon of RTIA policy implementation is circumscribed by the authoritarianism of office bearers.Item नेपालका सामुदायिक रेडियोमा महिला सहभागिता {Women's Participation in Community Radio in Nepal}(पत्रकारिता तथा आमसञ्चार सङ्काय, 2013) खतिवडा Khatiwada, सुवास SubasNot availableItem कास्की जिल्लाबाट प्रकाशित अखवारमा स्थानीय समाचार एक अध्ययन {A Study of Local News in Newspapers Published from Kaski District }(पत्रकारिता तथा आमसञ्चार सङ्काय, 2016) पोखरेल Pokhrel, सन्तोष SantoshNot availableItem साप्ताहिक पत्रिकामा एकपक्षीय सामाग्रीको प्रचार {Propagation of one-sided Material in a Weekly Newspaper}(Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, 2013) श्रेष्ठ Shrestha, सुमन SumanNot availableItem सामुदायिक रेडियोमा तामाङ भाषाको प्रभावकारिता {Effectiveness of the Tamang Language in Community Radio}(Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, 2012) स्याङतान Syangtan, भक्त बहादुर Bhakta BahadurNot availableItem आमसञ्चार माध्यममा आदिवासी जनजातिका मुद्दा {Amasanchar Madhyamama Adibasi Janajatika Mudda}(पत्रकारिता तथा आमसञ्चार संकाय, 2007) शिल्पकार Shilpakar, शुभराज ShubhrajNot availableItem