Advertisement Board of Nepal and UNDP launched the Development Reporting Fellowship 2023 to encourage in-depth research and reporting in the areas of gender and consumer responsive advertisement. After careful evaluation, six fellows listed below have been selected to carry out research and writing in the topics they proposed.
Development Reporting Fellowship is a fellowship for journalists/researchers who are writing on or are interested to write on emerging development issues in Nepal’s context. The fellowship aims to promote in-depth reporting on topics of pressing concern, particularly those that relate to Nepal’s development discourse.
- Subhadra Gautam
Subhadra Gautam, a journalist affiliated with Nepal Television, has over a decade of experience crafting impactful stories on societal concerns. A graduate of journalism and mass communication from Tribhuvan University, she keenly observes societal implications of media’s portrayal and treatment to different genders and social groups. As a part of the fellowship, Gautam plans to examine gender stereotypes through case studies, exploring the motivations behind such advertisements and relevant government regulations to monitor and regulate the discriminatory contents.
2. Yubaraj Bhattarai
Yubaraj Bhattarai extensively reported on arts and entertainment before he started focusing on technology, startups, and issues related to infrastructure development in his new affiliation with the clickmandu.com, a digital portal. Simultaneously pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in mass communications and journalism, Bhattarai plans to uncover the factors hindering progressive thinking among Nepali advertisers and delve into the gender gap prevalent in the Nepal’s advertising industry.
3. Tara Chapagain
Tara Chapagain, a journalist affiliated to Annapurna Post, started her journalism journey in 2012 in Pokhara. A senior correspondent in the Political Bureau, Chapagain focuses on political matters, including parliament. As a development reporting fellow, she will analyze the objectification of women in Nepali commercials, presenting case studies and examining government policies to address and minimize such contents.
4. Bishan Chhetri
Journalist Bishan Chhetri began his journalism journey a decade ago in Kushma — the district headquarters of Parbat — as a radio journalist. He reported for Phalebas Weekly, Sahara Daily, and Dhaulagiri Post Daily during his Kushma tenure, and contributed to regional media and Arthik Abhiyan. Chhetri currently serves as a correspondent for 12khari.com in Pokhara, specializing in parliamentary affairs, government, and public policy. As a part of this fellowship, he plans to scrutinize the impact of deceptive advertisements on consumers, emphasizing policy regulation and consumer-friendly strategies.
5. Durga Rana Magar
Journalist Durga Rana Magar began her journalism career as a radio journalist in Pokhara. With diverse media engagements, she now holds the role of Online Editor at Public Television in Pokhara. Her focal points span critical social concerns like women, children, and the environment. As a part of this fellowship, she will probe Nepal’s advertisements reinforcing gender stereotypes, particularly dissecting the role of women in advertisement production and the factors perpetuating these dynamics.
6. Bidhya Rai
Originally from Bhojpur in eastern Nepal, journalist Bidya Rai covers various social issues for Kantipur Daily. Prior to joining Kantipur Daily seven years ago, she worked for Nagarik Daily, News 24 and Himshikhar TV as a local correspondent from Bhojpur. As a social affairs writer, she is interested to see how consumer-friendly are the advertisements, particularly those available in online platforms. As part of the fellowship, she will also draw practices from other countries how they are tackling this issue in her story.