Journalists Caught in Kathmandu Protests ^{CEFR B1}

Gen Z protests in Kathmandu on September 8th rapidly turned violent, placing journalists at the centre of the unrest. Dart Centre Asia Pacific fellow Arun Karki visited several newsrooms and recorded accounts from reporters and photographers who saw violent scenes up close. Sunita Karki witnessed a burning vehicle owned by a human rights group, people taking wounded friends to hospital, and police beating a teenager with his hands raised. By the evening the death toll reached 19.

The next day, on September 9th at about 3:35 pm, the Annapurna Post office in Tinkune was set on fire and staff evacuated while parts of the newsroom burned. Several media outlets faced attacks or threats. A Kantipur photojournalist, Angad Dhakal, rushed to his office and lost hard drives containing ten years of work. A message in a protest Discord forum discussed attacking Kantipur, and rumours spread between outlets. OnlineKhabar locked down after seeing suspicious people near its office, while reporters hid press IDs or moved inside crowds to avoid being identified.

Protesters vandalised parts of the Singha Darbar complex, where Nepal Television and Radio Nepal are based, aiming to disrupt public broadcasting. Reporter Surendra Paudyal put away his press ID as Singha Darbar grew dangerous and focused on getting his team out safely; they kept the 8 pm news on air through a regional link. Across the city, reporters described fear, guilt and shock, and some considered leaving their jobs. The accounts were republished with permission from the Dart Centre Asia Pacific.