Save the Children and Child Nepal held an interaction on child-friendly and child-sensitive coverage of children’s issues in Nepali media, in Kathmandu, on 17th October 2023. The event was attended by editors/desk editors from different national media outlets, including print, online media, television, and radio.

Speaking at the event, Hari Bahadur Thapa, a senior journalist, said, “No doubt, political news is predominant in Nepali media. Also, the fact is that there are provisions for children and their issues in Nepal’s constitution and related laws and policies. Nepali media is still not fully aware of these provisions and standards and their importance. This calls for more discussion around these standards and children’s issues in civic space. Nepali media need feedback for child-sensitive media reporting.”

Prominent media educator, Dr Kundan Aryal, emphasized that media and civil society should come together for generating quality content and information for public consumption. “As gatekeepers, editors have a huge role in providing space for children’s issues in media. In fact, editors can hone the skills of beat reporters over time for child-responsive reporting in Nepali media.”

In his remarks, Ayush Shrestha Joshi, the Director of Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications and Media (ACCM) at Save the Children said, “Children’s issues need to be looked at through the intersectional lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion when advocating for child-informed media, rather than going for a blanket approach. Therefore, it is crucial to foster closer collaboration with media professionals and journalists to ensure that children's issues are accurately represented and to create meaningful spaces for children's voices to be featured and heard.”

Earlier, Save the Children had supported a study titled ‘Child Friendliness in Nepali Media’ that highlighted that only 2% of news coverage in Nepal was fully focused on children. In that regard, the event aimed to discuss with editors/desk editors and explore ways for child-inclusive media in Nepal.