The media landscape is vast, with more than 4,900 printed publications, 1,193 radio stations, 246 TV channels and more than 4,600 news sites. The government of Nepal is one of the largest media owners. It has direct control and appoints top editors at outlets like the Nepali-language daily Gorkhapatra, and the English-language daily Rising Nepal. The 2024 Public Service Broadcasting Act merged Radio Nepal and Nepal Television into a single entity: Public Service Broadcasting Nepal (PSBN). The public news agency, Rashtriya Samachar Samiti, primarily broadcasts official information, and its reports generally reflect the positions of the government. The leading private-sector media entity is Kantipur Media Group, which competes online with innovative news sites such as onlinekhabar.com, ratopati.com and setopati.com.

The political climate has gradually become more accommodating for journalists since the advent of the republic in 2008, although Nepali society remains highly politicised. Each major political party has a mouthpiece via a trade union or a journalists’ organisation. The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) receives significant financial support from the public treasury. Politicians and government officials have targeted the media with baseless attacks more than once in an attempt to discredit the profession of journalism. Finally, the practice of appointing journalists as press advisers to various administrative and political bodies, at both the local and national level, undermines the credibility of the profession in the eyes of the public. The government's decision to block access to 26 social media platforms sparked a large-scale popular uprising in September 2025, which was violently suppressed and led to the Prime Minister's resignation. Balendra Shah became the new Prime Minister in 2026.

The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal is one of the few countries in the world to proclaim “full freedom of the press” in the preamble to its constitution. This provision is expressed in several fundamental rights, including freedom of opinion and expression, the right to information and the right to privacy. Legislation is needed to create a press council independent of the government and to guarantee the editorial autonomy of state-owned media. Conversely, several penal code provisions adopted in August 2018 obstruct investigative journalism and restrict criticism of public figures. Some provinces, such as Bagmati and Mahesh, are leading the way in protecting journalists.

Media outlets are supposed to pay their journalists a minimum wage set by the Working Journalists Act but, in practice, it is rarely paid. Low pay undermines journalists’ independence and respect for professional ethics, and drives many to abandon journalism.

Kickbacks in exchange for favourable coverage or for the concealment of undesirable information is commonplace. The government helps fund the media with institutional advertising contracts, but this system tends to favour editorial bias, since the government gives preference to media outlets that support its policies. Financial interests compromise editorial independence and encourage widespread self-censorship. 

Since the end of the civil war in 2006, press freedom in Nepal has benefitted from a socio-cultural tradition of debate. However, some segments of society are clearly under-represented, and the media struggle to reflect social diversity. Only 24 per cent of Nepali journalists are women. At the same time, entry into the profession is out of reach for the most marginalised members of society, a trend reinforced by the persistence of old caste structures from the Hindu tradition, which results in limited access to the media and media education. This is reflected in the content in the mainstream media, which tends to overlook issues involving marginalised sectors of the population, especially in rural and remote areas.

Coverage of police and local criminals’ activities is still off limits for journalists. Protection mechanisms exist, supported by the Press Council and the National Human Rights Commission. But they are unlikely to offer emergency solutions for reporters in danger. Cases of surveillance, threats and intimidation are legion, which push many journalists to self-censorship. More insidious pressure, such as fear of being discredited, can also persuade some reporters to avoid reporting on sensitive issues.