10 percent journalists in Nepal rendered jobless due to coronavirus

KATHMANDU: Around 10 percent of media persons have become jobless due to the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, shows a study report.

Similarly, the salary of nine percent of media persons has been curtailed and 20 percent of journalists have not received their salary. One-fourth media persons have not got a salary for the past four months, shows the study report.

It is shared in a program organized to release the preliminary result of the study on ‘Impact of COVID-19 in the journalism sector’ by a team comprising researchers Madhu Acharya and Bhumi Chapagain.

The study was carried out in collaboration with the Federation of Nepali Journalists and Sharecast Initiative Nepal on 2008 journalists of all seven states.

As per the report, the profession and income of more than forty percent of journalists have been affected. Four percent of media persons lost their jobs and six percent were forced to stay on unpaid leave.

Likewise, 70 percent of media persons faced inconvenience to collect and disseminate news due to the coronavirus pandemic, shows the report.

Two-third of journalists affected due to coronavirus pandemic and lockdown have been facing problems in their daily life.

Not only media persons, media house owner journalists have also been found affected due to corona and lockdown.

Around 14 percent of media houses are unable to pay salaries to media persons after imposing of lockdown.

The report also shows that the future of the journalism sector might be affected due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.

FNJ President Govinda Prasad Acharya said that the study was carried out with an objective of bringing the reality out as coronavirus pandemic has been found to have caused an adverse impact on the media sector.

“Most of the journalists have become jobless. They are facing problems even to run their daily livelihood”, added Acharya.

Similarly, former Presidents of FNJ—Shiva Gaunle, Taranath Dahal, and Suresh Acharya, talked about the problems facing media persons due to the coronavirus pandemic. RSS