KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 31

The Federation of Nepali Journalists today said the year 2022 was daunting for media and journalists.

According to a press statement issued by the umbrella organisation of Nepali journalists, the media fraternity faced changing modus operandi against press freedom with the development and expansion of new technologies for issuing threats to journalists and media houses.

The FNJ said the persons or groups who disagreed with the news and views threatened the journalists and media houses for their work. In the year 2022, digital media emerged as a platform for intimidating mediapersons.

The FNJ also reported that there were unauthorised access to content management system, widespread launching of unfollow campaign, issuance of threats through social media and hacking, among others.

According to the FNJ, the year 2022 recorded 53 cases of press freedom violation. They include three incidents of arrest, seven obstructions, 22 threats and intimidation, seven attacks, 11 cases of professional insecurity, one policy restriction, one gender violence and one displacement.

A total of 151 journalists, including 18 women, were directly affected by freedom violations, Similarly, as many as six media houses faced the brunt of such threats, intimidations and attacks.

In 2022, mediapersons continued to face deprivation of regular salary, pay cut, forced unpaid leave, dismissal from job, and unnecessary transfers to coerce them into resigning. It caused financial hardship to the families dependent on journalists.

Journalists were impacted by injustice at the hands of media houses and inaction of the government to strictly enforce the existing law.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 1, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.