While the royalist movement was going on, journalist Suresh Rajak reached Tinkune to collect news. He died on Chaitra 15, 2001 while reporting. When the body of Rajak, who was killed in Marble House in Tinkune, was being recovered, he had not received his salary from the organization he worked for for 10 months. After widespread criticism, Avenues Television gave Rajak's family 10 months' salary.

This incident of Rajak receiving his salary while his body was being recovered shows the picture of Nepali journalism in the last few years, where journalists across the country regularly go without salary for months. They have neither any option nor anywhere else to go. A journalist from Mountain Television told Kantipur, 'There is no place to leave. It is the same everywhere. Who can I complain to?'

Nepal's traditional media industry is slowly collapsing, but media professionals seem oblivious to this . Kantipur has prepared this material by talking to 27 working journalists from print, television and digital media. What is clear from the conversations with them is that almost all journalists in Nepal do not receive their salaries on time . Journalists from various organizations complained on condition of anonymity that they have not received salaries for two months to about a year . 

This is not a problem seen only in one organization . This problem has spread from institutional media to small startups and public limited companies . And, working journalists are the ones who are directly affected by it .

What is happening in the Nepali media industry now is also a symptom of a global crisis . This crisis is starting to be seen not only in Nepal but also in Western countries . With the rise of digital platforms, media in the US and Europe, which have long relied on advertising and subscription-based business models, are on the verge of being displaced.

Just a few months ago, the US-based Washington Post laid off more than 300 journalists at once. Similarly, according to a report by Niman published in April 2025, more than 10,000 journalism jobs were lost in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, i.e. 3 years. In neighboring India, the media and advertising industry lost more than 1,000 jobs last year alone, including Zee Entertainment, which runs nearly three dozen channels worldwide. However, the crisis in Nepal is different and more painful than the crisis in Western media. Working journalists have been directly affected by this crisis. Because the media industry here has never been healthy . Since COVID-19, journalists have been surviving on irregular and low wages . This problem is becoming more acute now . And there is neither a 'safe landing' for journalists, nor a clear practice in the services provided when they are fired.  According to the Federation of Nepali Journalists, at least 18 complaints related to 'professional insecurity' were registered in 2025 . The federation has categorized issues such as non-payment of salaries on time and illegal dismissal as professional insecurity . According to the annual report of the federation, only 11 such complaints were registered  two years ago. The number of complaints seems to have increased this year compared to the previous year . The latest organization to fail to pay salaries on time is 'Ukalo', which adopted a new concept of operating a media outlet without distributing profits and advertising in 2079 Kartik.  Ukalo's journalism, which started with a new practice in Nepal, is also attractive. Be it the issue of 10 ropani land grab in Bansbari or the irregularities in the Bal Mandir land; corruption worth billions in the Presidential Educational Reform Program or the embezzlement of savers' money by Devi Bhattachan and Ashok Sherchan, Ukalo has investigated these issues. Similarly, 'Ukalo' was establishing itself as an alternative media for reading environmental issues, irregularities in the health sector, investigative, 'in-depth' and 'long form features'. 'Ukalo' journalists have also won awards based on those reporting. However, the journalists working there have not received their salaries since December. Due to this, 10 people in the newsroom have resigned. Deepa Dahal, who led most of the major investigative reporting, has recently been appointed as Prime Minister Balendra Shah's press advisor and research expert. Other journalists from 'Ukalo', who advocate for good governance and 'expose' those who have committed corruption worth billions through investigative news, are now in doubt whether to continue journalism. 'Initially, I was very happy that I came to a very good place.' The learning was also consistent, but now I feel like this profession is over,' a journalist from Ukalo shared his sorrow with Kantipur. According to the journalists from Ukalo, they have already submitted a formal letter of attention to the management twice. But, there has been no response. 'We don't even know where the management is,' said another journalist from Ukalo, 'When I ask the editor why the salary is late, they don't have any answer.'

Ukalo's Editor-in-Chief Amod Pyakurel also admits that the journalists are not getting their salaries on time. He said that they were unable to pay salaries on time due to the 'transitional' period. 'The donors' withdrawal for some time due to reasons like elections has affected the fundraising,' he said, 'but this should not be considered a long-term crisis.' He claimed that Ukalo has been able to publish important investigative content because of this model. 'The platform and working style we have chosen have strengthened independent journalism,' he said.

Pyakurel said that the organization has prioritized the rights and interests of workers from the beginning and is committed to the Social Security Fund (SSF) and other systems. 'The current problem will be resolved soon,' he said, 'Ukalo will continue to move forward as a non-profit and independent media outlet in the future as well.'

Another organization that has been struggling with the labor problems of journalists for a long time is 'Nepal Republic Media Limited'. The parent company of Nagarik National Daily, My Republica and Nagarik Network.com, had raised Rs 435.3 million from the general public through an IPO in 2080 Jestha, promoting itself as Nepal's first and only public limited media company.

It has currently garnered the trust and investment of 361,000 ordinary shareholders. It had also received a concessional government loan of Rs 200 million for the payment of employees' salaries and business continuity during the COVID-19 period. Similarly, according to the audit report prepared by 'Pradhan & Shakya Associates', the company earned a net profit of Rs 2.466 million in the last fiscal year.

However, journalists there complain that they have not received regular salaries for the past six months. 'Not everyone is treated the same there. Some get paid quickly, some get paid late. If you get close to the boss, you get paid quickly, otherwise, it stops,' a journalist from Nagarik told Kantipur. The Federation of Nepali Journalists had already locked down the company over the issue of non-payment of salaries on time.

When Kantipur contacted Nagarik's editor-in-chief Gunaraj Luintel about the issue of non-payment of salaries on time, he refused to comment, saying that he did not speak about administrative matters. Then, when we contacted Samriddhi Gyawali, a member of the family that owns a large share of the company and former CEO, she requested us to send questions by email, saying that she did not want to talk about it. However, there was no response to the emails sent by Kantipur twice.

Along with Nagarik, journalists from Kantipur Media Group have also not received their salaries on time. Based on conversations conducted during the reporting on this issue, half a dozen journalists from two national dailies said that they had not received their salaries for Falgun and Chait.

According to a Kantipur journalist, journalists had not received their salaries for three months before the 'Gen-G' movement in September last year. During the protest, both the Kantipur building and the director's house were set on fire. They say that although payments have returned to normal after the protest, they have become uncertain again in the last two months.

Kantipur Media Group, the country's largest media house in terms of reach and size, employs more than 650 people, of whom 238 are newsroom employees.

KMG, a once-thriving media business, has seen its profits fall by 70 percent in a decade. However, its core business model, newsroom practices and distribution systems, are very old. Sambhav Sirohia, the group's managing director, says that he is clearly aware of the problems facing the media industry, including Kantipur, but that the solution to them cannot come from management alone.

Sirohia told Kantipur, "It is not enough to just rethink our business model and content distribution strategy; we also need to rethink what journalism means in today's era."

Sirohiya had adopted a strategy focused on cutting costs within the organization after taking over the leadership three years ago. In the same vein, dozens of employees were dismissed with financial packages last year as part of an institutional restructuring. Journalists working there had also protested over this issue. Along with this, he has announced that he will increase investment in technology to bring in new manpower to make the newsroom and operating system more flexible.

In a conversation with Kantipur, he claimed that even if he envisions a smaller newsroom in the future, the remuneration and impact of journalists' work will increase. 'We are investing in making all systems digital,' he said, 'Journalists who can understand new story 'formats', distribute their content on various platforms and monitor the effectiveness of their content will ultimately be successful.'

By the way, journalists are not only facing challenges in the media industry if they do not receive their salaries on time. The incident of Rajak of Avenues Television confirms this. Not only his death, but also the unequal distribution of salaries there. Some of the approximately 33 employees have not received their salaries for 11 months, while some have not received their salaries for the last seven months. According to journalists working at Avenues, the management there selects individuals and distributes salaries unequally.

However, Avenues Chairman Bhaskarraj Rajkarnikar said that only 3 months of salary are left. 'You called today, so only 3 months are left,' Rajkarnikar said in a telephone conversation with Kantipur on 27 Chaitra, 'If you had called in Baisakh, not even a month would have been left.' Five days later, on 1 Baisakh 2083, when Kantipur spoke to the journalists there, they said that they had received only one month's salary and still had 6 months' salary left.

The crisis of all media outlets is not only due to declining income. An example of this is the 'Rajdhani' daily. The 'Rajdhani' daily, which has a history of more than two decades, is currently in serious trouble due to property disputes and domestic disputes among its owners. After the death of founding publisher Mahendra Bahadur Sherchan, the newspaper's publication was affected by the competition between his family members over the ownership of the property. As a result, journalists have not been able to receive their salaries on time.

According to journalists working in the capital, they have not received their salaries for the past five months. 'We are being caught in the grip of their family disputes. They are fighting for property, we are suffering,' said one of the 13 journalists working there.

Kantipur had contacted Ashish Sherchan, Managing Director of the Rajdhani Daily, to find out about the labor problems seen in the publication and the plan to solve them. He refused to comment. 'First you solve your own problems at Kantipur, and then I will speak,' he said.

Annapurna Media Network, one of the country's largest media groups that includes daily newspapers, radio stations and online platforms, is also not immune to problems. According to journalists at Annapurna Post, salary payments are still irregular, a problem that began with Covid-19. Which has not been fully resolved yet. Some journalists at the Post and its co-publication Annapurna Express have not received their salaries for 12 months.

'In the three and a half years I have worked here, I have never received my salary on time,' said one journalist. 'Sometimes they deposit some amount once in two months, sometimes once in three months. I have repeatedly raised this issue with the management, but they falsely claim that they are paying salaries on time. I want to resign, but if I do, I am afraid that I will not get the remaining salary.'

But the network's general manager, Manoj Basnet, rejected such claims. 'Since I took over 16 months ago, salaries have been distributed every month,' he told Kantipur. This gap between the management's statements and the actual experience of journalists has become a prominent feature of Nepal's media industry.

Journalists at Prime Television have said that they have not received their salaries for three months. According to them, the situation has worsened after Rishi Dhamala, the chairman of the television, left Prime Television. One journalist said, 'When Dhamala was younger, salaries were late but at least they came. After he left, the situation has worsened.'

Journalists at Mountain Television also say that they are owed about three months' salary. A journalist at Image Television also said that they have not received their salaries. However, another journalist working there claimed that although there were some problems with salaries in the past, they have been receiving their salaries on time recently. Image Group of Companies Executive Chairman Direklal Shrestha also informed that there is no problem with salaries. ‘It is absolutely wrong to say that salaries are not regular at Image. Since I took over the management in Shrawan, salaries have been regular. Salaries till Falgun have already been paid on 15 Chaitra,’ he said.

Janmadeva Jaisi, President of the Working Journalists Association, who has been fighting for the rights of journalists for a long time, also says that most journalists have not received their salaries. ‘Most of the journalists in my contact have not received their salaries,’ he says. ‘If we were to implement the Working Journalists Act, many of these problems that are currently being seen would have been resolved.’

Another major reason why journalists do not receive their salaries on time is the non-implementation of the Working Journalists Act. Journalists are aware of this, but they are suffering due to its lack of implementation. Jaisi, the president of the Working Journalists Association, believes that many issues need to be amended in the Working Journalists Act, including a clear statement on the financial aspects of the media industry.

The government decision of last week, Chaitra 18, seems to be further hurting the media industry. Nepal's private media has long been based on two foundations, government advertising and private sector advertising. Both of these never seem stable or sufficient. As viewers/readers move online, private sector advertising is gradually decreasing from print. Investment in digital has also been limited and unstable, which is mainly limited to a few large media houses centered in Kathmandu.

According to the Department of Information and Broadcasting, there are 14,842 registered media outlets across the country, of which 8,058 are newspapers, 5,307 are online platforms, 1,207 are FM radios and 252 are TV channels. The source of income and the density of the media industry do not match. Experts say that this is developing a trend of competing for the same customers, demanding equal treatment, and accepting advertisements at the available rates to survive.

Small newspapers, local radio and regional televisions have been operating depending on small private advertisements and regular government announcements. In other words, for most media outlets, government advertisements are not only a supplementary source of income, but also the main basis of operation. However, on Chaitra 18, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers issued a directive to publish/broadcast all government advertisements and public announcements only through state-owned media outlets Gorkhapatra, Radio Nepal and Nepal Television.

According to government officials, this decision was taken with the aim of controlling irregularities that have been seen in the advertising market for a long time. They allege that middlemen and agencies are taking huge commissions without benefiting both the state and the media houses. But the government's decision has made media professionals more worried. The Advertising Association of Nepal (AAN) has also warned that the government's decision will directly affect independent journalism. The association believes that it is not appropriate to completely exclude private media outlets despite the government having alternative measures to control the distortions seen in the advertising market.

However, AAN has not discussed much in terms of resolving the journalists' salary crisis. While the Federation of Nepali Journalists has been raising the advertising ban as an issue of press freedom, it seems to be silent on the issue of journalists not receiving salaries for months at various media houses.

The President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Nirmala Sharma, said that they have been working for the welfare of the working class. 'There are many problems in media houses, but friends have not come collectively. The voice is weaker than that of just two or four people. If a petition is submitted collectively through the Federation of Nepali Journalists' branch, our side will be stronger, so we have called on everyone to submit a petition collectively,' said the President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Nirmala Sharma.

President Sharma Despite repeated negotiations on labor issues, some media houses have not paid journalists' salaries as agreed. 'In some places, we have even had to protest after the agreements were not implemented. Now we will first negotiate, then give an ultimatum for a solution, and if not, we have no choice but to protest,' she says.

Journalists can file a complaint if they do not receive their salaries on time. According to Jaisi, president of the Working Journalists' Association, the process is cumbersome. Although there is a legal provision that allows journalists who have not received their salaries to file a complaint with the Press Registrar under the Department of Information, the process is often followed by going through the labor office and reaching the labor court, which makes the resolution long and complicated, she argues. 'It is difficult for journalists to get justice quickly in such a long process,' she said.

Not all media outlets are not paying salaries on time, but some media outlets are paying salaries on time. A journalist working at the national daily 'Karobar' said that salaries are distributed regularly on the 15th of every month. 'In the meantime, there was a delay of 3 months regarding the SSF. Now it comes on time. There is no such problem,' the journalist working at the business said, 'They also give us advance and emergency funds when we need them.'

Similarly, a journalist from 'Arthik Abhiyan' also said that they receive regular salaries. He says, 'Our bell rings on the 15th of every month,' the journalist said, 'If it falls on a Saturday, it comes on the 16th. Otherwise, the salary comes on the 15th.'

The journalist working there said that the English daily 'The Himalayan Times' also pays salaries on time. 'After Covid, many of us had their salaries stopped for a long time.' But after the Gen-G movement, it has started coming regularly now,' the journalist said, 'Some people still have their old money, but some are being released slowly.'

The situation of online portals seems to be better. Setopati.com and Bahrakhari.com journalists there say that they pay salaries on time every month. 'Our editor is clear about the matter of salaries. He says that he will close on the day he is not paid. That is why we have regular salaries,' the Setopati journalist said, 'If it is a holiday, it is a different matter, otherwise the money comes to the account on the same day every month.'

The journalist working in Bahrakhari also said that his salary comes regularly. He says, 'Money comes to the account on the 3rd or 4th. They say that there is a problem, but we don't have much.'

'OnlineKhabar.com' had been delayed for about two months, but now there is no month left, said a journalist working there. 'In the meantime, we did not receive salaries for 50 days,' the journalist says, 'but now we have received them. It has not been held for that long.'

Again, the situation is difficult for others.'

'My friends have left,' said a journalist from Naya Patrika, 'I don't know how long those who remain will last.'