By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Feb. 17: Women politicians in Nepal received less media attention compared to male politicians, a report shows.
The media monitoring jointly done by Media Advocacy Group (MAG) and Tewa from July to December, 2021, concluded that Nepali media give less priority to women politicians.
The report shows that women politicians continue to be at a disadvantage in the way they are covered by the media, and that women are often discouraged from entering the political realms because of gendered media reporting.

As per the research report, the coverage of women politicians’ news in mainstream Nepali dailies stood at only 5.84 per cent.
Out of 6,382 news items published in seven national dailies, only 373 news items were related to female politicians. This is only 5.84 per cent of the total news published by those media, the study revealed. The study has shown that Gorkhapatra Daily published the highest number of political news stories, at 23 per cent.

Similarly, 18 per cent political news stories were published in the Nagarik Daily, 16 per cent in The Rising Nepal and Kantipur, 12 per cent in Naya Patrika, nine per cent in Annapurna Post and six per cent in The Kathmandu Post.

Out of all seven dailies, Gorkhapatra Daily published the highest number of news stories featuring women politicians with 29.7 per cent, followed by The Rising Nepal and Kantipur with 19.6 per cent, 11 per cent in Nagarik Daily, 9.4 per cent in Annapurna Post, 6.4 per cent in Naya Patrika and 4 per cent The Kathmandu Post.

According to the study, out of the total number of news articles featuring female politicians over the period of six months, only 373 news stories (22 per cent) of female politicians have got space on the front page, while 65 per cent of such news stories were published in inner pages.

Likewise, women politicians were featured in 10 per cent of opinion pages and three per cent in editorial pages, the study shows.
The study further revealed that President Bidya Devi Bhandari received more media coverage during the period. News items including pictures of the public ceremony attended by President Bhandari have been published.
After President Bhandari, CPN-UML leader Ashtalakshmi Shakya has got second highest coverage in newspapers due to cabinet reshuffle, short-term appointment of her as the Chief Minister of Bagmati Province and getting a vote of confidence.

After the President and Shakya, CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Pampha Bhusal got the third highest number of media coverage, after she was appointed as the Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation.
Compared to the male politicians, very less number of female politicians were quoted in the news items as a news source, the study shows.