The impact on journalists and local media
Information shared with GFMD by our Nepal-based members, Freedom Forum and Media Action Nepal, shows that the disaster has had a significant impact on journalists, media workers, their families and media organisations.
Four journalists remain missing following the floods: Tekraj Thami of Naya Patrika National Daily, Shekhar Dhungana, a freelance journalist, Raj Kumar Nepali of the National Dalit Journalists Association, and Suresh Simkhada, publisher of Shilapatra.com. Family members of journalists are also among those reported missing. Freedom Forum and Media Action Nepal have called for intensified search and rescue efforts.
Journalists and their families have also experienced significant loss and damage to homes, land, vehicles and other personal property, with some displaced from their homes. Local media organisations have suffered substantial damage as well. Freedom Forum has documented media houses that were swept away or damaged, while several community radio stations have been operating with limited capacity because of power outages, internet disruptions and damage to equipment and communications infrastructure.
For journalists documenting the disaster and keeping communities informed, these challenges are compounded by damaged roads, limited transportation, high travel costs and difficulties accessing affected areas.
The disruption to local media also affects communities, which depend on journalists and media outlets for timely, accurate and public-interest information during a crisis.
How our members in Nepal are responding
Freedom Forum has been monitoring and documenting the impact of the floods on journalists and media houses and has published an updated brief on directly affected media persons and outlets. It is also coordinating with local contacts in affected districts to gather information on urgent needs, particularly where internet disruptions make direct online reporting difficult.
Media Action Nepal has issued a call for urgent action to locate missing journalists and has conducted a rapid assessment, Impact of the Rasuwa/Bhotekoshi Flood on Media, Journalists and the Information Ecosystem. The assessment examines the impact on journalists, media workers and media houses across the affected districts, including disruptions to communications, electricity, internet, transport and access to affected communities. It also identifies immediate, medium- and long-term needs for recovery, capacity building and resilience.
Both organisations are continuing to gather information from affected journalists and media organisations as the situation develops.
What affected journalists and media organisations need
Based on the assessments shared with GFMD, affected journalists and media organisations have identified the following urgent needs:
- Emergency financial support for basic living needs
- Food assistance for journalists and their families facing immediate shortages
- Vehicle support for journalists who lost or damaged their vehicles in the floods
- Temporary shelter for displaced journalists and families
- Psychosocial and mental-health support
- Power banks, solar power systems and other backup power solutions
- Internet and connectivity equipment
- Laptops, cameras and other reporting equipment
- Support to restore affected media houses and resume operations
- Longer-term support for media recovery, disaster preparedness and resilience
Some journalists have already requested specific assistance, including vehicle support following the loss of vehicles in the floods, while others have sought support with food items. Needs are continuing to evolve as Freedom Forum and Media Action Nepal gather further information.
Longer-term support for journalism and media recovery
Beyond immediate relief, sustained support will be important to enable journalists to continue reporting on the emergency response and longer-term recovery. Local journalists in the affected districts work for a range of national and international media outlets, but critical and in-depth reporting remains limited.
Continued reporting will be needed on emergency relief, rescue operations, rehabilitation and the resettlement of affected communities. Reporting on the climate crisis and its implications for vulnerable communities should also be encouraged.
Psychological distress is another challenge for journalists who have experienced loss, displacement or other forms of trauma. Psychosocial support, alongside practical assistance, can help them continue their professional work during and after the crisis. Fellowship support could provide a longer-term mechanism for journalists to pursue investigative journalism, crisis reporting and coverage of recovery and climate-related issues.
A potential Media Center for the affected districts
Another potential longer-term intervention is the establishment of a Media Center serving Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. The Trishuli Corridor connects the three affected districts and could provide a strategic location for such a facility.
A Media Center in a suitable area along or around the corridor could give local journalists a shared space to connect, access essential resources and continue reporting from the ground. It could also strengthen coordination among journalists and provide access to connectivity, power and other reporting resources, particularly during emergencies and the recovery period.
How the GFMD community can support
GFMD is coordinating with our members and partners to help connect affected journalists and media organisations with relevant sources of support.
We are particularly interested in hearing from donors, international organisations, media development and press freedom organisations, technology and connectivity providers, and other service providers that may be able to offer:
- Emergency or flexible funding
- Equipment or replacement reporting devices
- Connectivity and power solutions
- Psychosocial or trauma support
- Journalist safety and disaster-reporting assistance
- Support for media recovery and operational continuity
- Fellowship or other longer-term support for crisis and investigative reporting
If your organisation is able to support affected Nepali journalists or media organisations, or if you know of a relevant funding opportunity, service or initiative, please get in touch with GFMD.
Supporting journalism during crisis
The experience in Nepal is a reminder that access to reliable information is itself a critical part of disaster response. Local journalists and media organisations are often among the first to document what is happening, identify gaps in assistance and help communities understand rapidly changing conditions. Yet during a disaster, they may be facing the same threats to their safety, homes, families and livelihoods as the communities they serve.
Supporting them is therefore not only about protecting journalism. It is also about helping communities maintain access to trusted, public-interest information during and after a crisis.
GFMD will continue working with our members and partners to identify needs and connect them with potential sources of support. This page will be updated as further information and opportunities emerge.
Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by the floods, with the families of those who are missing, and with the journalists, media workers and local media organisations continuing to serve their communities under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
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