Today, May 3, is World Press Freedom Day. This day is celebrated worldwide, including Nepal, to advocate for freedom of the press and expression, demand the protection of journalists, and remember the indispensability of a free press in a democracy. In this context, various international and national reports have been made public on the state of press freedom around the world.

According to the 'World Press Freedom Index 2026' released by the France-based international organization 'Reporters Without Borders' (RSF), Nepal ranks 87th out of 180 countries. According to this report, which is prepared based on political, economic, legal, social, and security indicators, Nepal's situation is the best among South Asian countries.

Nepal's neighboring countries lag far behind in the index. India ranks 157th, Pakistan ranks 153rd, Bangladesh ranks 152nd, Bhutan ranks 150th, and Sri Lanka ranks 134th. Afghanistan, which has been continuously restricting the press and completely controlling the media since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, ranks 175th.

RSF has pointed out in its report that the overall press freedom situation in the Asia-Pacific region is becoming worrying and oppressive. Although Nepal appears to be relatively safe in such an adverse regional environment, the situation here is not entirely satisfactory. 

Although the international report shows the situation in Nepal as above, the internal reality is different. According to the Federation of Nepali Journalists, 131 cases of press freedom violations have been registered in the last one year alone. Of these, 51 are cases of abuse and threats against journalists and 30 are serious cases of physical attacks on media materials and journalists. 

Similarly, there have been 18 cases of professional insecurity, 26 cases of obstruction in news gathering and occupation of media houses, and 3 cases of policy restrictions. According to the Federation's report, 2 journalists have been arrested during this period and one journalist has died under suspicious circumstances, the truth of which has not yet been investigated.

The biggest crisis faced by Nepal's media houses and journalists in recent times was seen during the 'Gen-G' protests held on Bhadra 23-24, 2082. During that period alone, more than a hundred journalists and dozens of media houses were directly affected by 26 incidents of press freedom violations. Media workers fell victim to both protesters and security personnel. Media houses were deliberately set on fire, looted, and vandalized in the violent incidents on Bhadra 23 and 24.

It is estimated that the incident caused damage worth about 600 million rupees to the institutional sector and about 180 million rupees to the personal/private property of journalists and media entrepreneurs. Five journalists deployed to collect news were injured by bullets during the protests. The targets of the movement included Kantipur Publications, Public Service Broadcasting Nepal, Radio Nepal, Nepal Television, Annapurna Post, Thaha Khabar, Radio Jagran of Butwal in Mofusal, Nepalvani FM of Ilam, and Ilam Express. The branch office of the Federation in Saptari was also set on fire and vandalized. This has made it clear that the state has failed to provide security to the media during times of emergency and conflict.

Apart from the Federation, reports from other organizations working in the media sector have also shown that attacks and risks on the media are increasing day by day. According to 'Media Action Nepal', 71 incidents of press freedom violations have been registered, affecting 78 journalists and 10 media organizations. The organization has concluded that insecurity against journalists has increased from both state bodies (police, courts, ministries) and non-state actors (political party activists, organized crowds, interest groups). Recently, online and multimedia journalists have been targeted more, while television and print journalists have also been affected. Incidents of cyberbullying and character assassination against female journalists, especially through misuse of social media, have increased.

Similarly, according to the annual report of another organization 'Freedom Forum', 97 incidents of press freedom violations have been recorded from May 2025 to April 2026. Last year, there were only 68 such incidents. This shows that the risks to the press have increased dramatically in one year. This year, 145 journalists (123 men and 22 women) have been directly affected. Geographically, Bagmati Province has been the most affected, with a total of 40 violations, including 33 in the Kathmandu Valley alone.

In addition, the government's repeated attempts to introduce laws restricting freedom of the press and expression and the tendency to arrest journalists under Section 47 of the Electronic Transactions Act have increased 'self-censorship' in the media sector. Professional insecurity has reached its peak as media houses have not paid working journalists for months and have fired them without reason under the pretext of economic recession.