Media literacy in Nepal

People lack awareness about digital media issues, including online privacy, security and misinformation.

Media literacy empowers individuals to critically analyse the complex media landscape, enabling informed decision-making and fostering active societal participation. Unfortunately, the Government of Nepal, media houses, civil society organisations and media development organisations don’t prioritise it. As a result, media literacy is thinly referenced in our legislative framework. The Constitution of Nepal 2015 articulates the right to opinion and expression (Article 17[2a]), the right to communication (Article 19), and information (Article 27) while not mentioning the phrase. However, these provisions indirectly advocate for media literacy. Similarly, the National Mass Communications Policy 2016, without using the phrase, indirectly calls for actions promoting the same. For instance, Objective 1.1 of the National Mass Communications Policy seeks to create a civilised and prosperous society by ensuring accountable mass media based on democratic principles and the right to freedom of expression. This involves integrating media literacy through promoting access to diverse information sources and promoting critical thinking skills.