As Nepal’s media industry faces an existential crisis – journalists are enduring months without pay, with few places to turn and little regulatory protection.

When journalist Suresh Rajak collapsed and died on assignment on March 28 last year, he had not received a single paycheck in ten months. His employer, Avenues Television, only cleared his outstanding dues after public outrage erupted over the tragedy. The incident laid bare what journalists across Nepal now describe as an open secret: months without salaries have become routine in an industry teetering on the edge of collapse.

A Slow-Motion Collapse with No Safety Net

Nepal’s traditional media – print, television and digital – is suffering an acute version of a global crisis. In the United States and Europe, legacy outlets have slashed thousands of jobs as advertising revenue migrates to digital platforms. The Washington Post recently laid off more than 300 journalists in one round, while a Nieman Foundation report documented over 10,000 journalism losses in three years.

Yet Nepal’s pain feels harsher. The industry was never financially robust; it relied on low wages and irregular payments even in better times. Today, with no severance culture, no strong labour enforcement and no independent regulatory body, journalists have nowhere to go. Journalists report salary arrears ranging from two months to nearly a year. The problem affects idealistic startups and publicly listed companies alike, at a time when Nepal – barely a year after violent protests – can least afford a weakened press.

The Federation of Nepali Journalists recorded at least 18 complaints of professional insecurity in 2025, up from 11 two years earlier. These include non-payment of salaries and unlawful terminations. “There’s nowhere to leave for,” one Mountain Television journalist told Kantipur. “Every place is the same. Who do you even complain to?”

Ukaalo’s Cautionary Tale: From Award-Winning Investigations to Unpaid Staff

One of the most striking examples is Ukaalo, launched in November 2022 as Nepal’s first ad-free, reader-funded digital outlet. Its reporters produced hard-hitting exposés on land grabs in Bansbari, irregularities at Balmandir, billion-rupee corruption in the President’s Educational Reform Programme, and financial fraud involving Prabhu Bank executives. The work earned major awards and was taught in schools.

Since December, however, Ukaalo’s journalists say they have received no pay. At least ten newsroom staff have resigned. One star reporter, responsible for many of the outlet’s biggest scoops, has joined the new prime minister’s office as a press expert. Those who remain speak of a crisis of faith. “At first I thought I’d found exactly the right place,” one journalist said. “The learning matched what I’d hoped for. Now I wonder if this profession is finished.”

Staff submitted formal grievance letters twice; management never replied. “We don’t even know where the management is,” another said. Editor-in-chief Amod Pyakurel acknowledges the difficulties but blames external factors – elections and donors temporarily withholding support. “The model we adopted is what allowed us to strengthen independent journalism,” he insisted. “The current issues will be resolved soon, and we will continue to move forward as an independent non-profit outlet.”

Publicly Listed Media Giant Leaves Staff Unpaid

The situation at Nepal Republic Media Limited, publisher of the Nagarik daily, My Republica and Nagariknetwork.com, is harder to dismiss. The company raised Rs 43.53 crore through an IPO in June 2023, becoming Nepal’s first and only publicly listed media house with 361,000 ordinary shareholders. It also received Rs 20 crore in concessional government loans during the COVID-19 pandemic specifically for staff salaries and business continuity. Audited accounts show a net profit of Rs 24.6 lakh last fiscal year.

Yet journalists say some have gone six months without regular pay. The Federation of Nepali Journalists once staged a lock-out at the company over the same issue. “It’s not the same for everyone,” one reporter said. “Some get paid faster, some slower. If you’re close to management, you get it quickly. Otherwise it gets held.”

Editor-in-chief Guna Raj Luitel declined to comment on administrative matters. Sambridhi Gyawali, whose family holds a majority stake and who served as CEO until recently, was unavailable for comment.

Kantipur Media Group: Revenue Down 70 Per Cent, Payments Still Delayed

Even the country’s largest media conglomerate is not immune. Journalists at Kantipur Media Group (KMG), which publishes this newspaper and employs more than 650 staff, including 238 in newsrooms, report inconsistent salary payments. Half a dozen journalists across Kantipur’s two national dailies said they had not received Falgun salaries. Kantipur TV and Radio staff received theirs last week.

Before the Gen Z protests in September last year, arrears at KMG had stretched to three months. The protests saw KMG’s buildings and the owner’s home burned. Payments briefly normalised afterward but have again become erratic. Managing director Sambhav Sirohiya, who took day-to-day control three years ago, is frank about the challenge. KMG’s revenue has fallen 70 per cent over the past decade while its business model, newsroom practices and distribution systems have barely changed.

“We not only need to rethink our business model and our content distribution strategy, we must also rethink what journalism means in this day and age,” Sirohiya told Kantipur. He has introduced cost-cutting measures, though details remain incomplete.

An Industry at a Crossroads

The crisis is pushing reporters out of the profession precisely when Nepal needs robust oversight. With political upheaval still fresh and public trust in institutions fragile, the erosion of independent journalism carries risks beyond newsroom balance sheets.

Journalists who stay often do so because alternatives are scarce. Many have families to support and loans to repay. Others cling to the belief that quality reporting still matters. Yet without urgent reforms – stronger labour protections, transparent funding models, and genuine innovation in content and revenue – the slow-motion collapse could accelerate.

Ukaalo’s editor may be right that current woes are temporary. Nepal Republic Media’s profit figures suggest capacity to pay. KMG’s leadership recognises the need for reinvention. But for the journalists who spoke anonymously, and the hundreds more who did not, the promise of tomorrow feels distant when today’s paycheck never arrives.