media - Himal Southasian (Page 2)

JJ Robinson on how Mohamed Muizzu’s Maldives is “a free-for-all kleptocracy”: State of Southasia #25

The journalist says that, despite some development, the Maldives’ political culture under Muizzu is one of corporatised corruption, political intimidation and control through gangs.

By The Editors

/ 9 Jun 2025

Mohamed Muizzu stands behind a wooden podium with the Maldives behind him on the right at his oath-taking ceremony as preside

Why did they kill Gauri Lankesh?

Rollo Romig’s book uncovers the making of Gauri Lankesh, her fight against Hindu nationalism, and how the journalist’s murder exposes the cost of dissent in an increasingly intolerant India

By Laxmi Murthy

/ 22 Apr 2025

A woman stands in a crowd holding a black-and-white poster featuring a portrait of Gauri Lankesh and the words 'SILENCE... IS

Bangladesh’s fragile media freedom – Southasia Weekly #61

This week in Himal This week, Cyrus Naji writes about a Media Reform Commission set up by Bangladesh’s interim government to address press freedom, and the threats and patterns

By Raisa Wickrematunge

/ 16 Apr 2025

Cartoon showing Donald Trump with a hammer cracking down on Southasia in reference to the global tariffs imposed to reduce US

The future of Bangladesh’s fragile media freedom

Under Mohammad Yunus’s interim government, a Media Reform Commission has set out to address long-standing problems facing journalists in Bangladesh – but old threats and patterns of control remain

By Cyrus Naji

/ 8 Apr 2025

Four men standing in a row holding protest signs in Dhaka. The man in the centre holds a sign that reads 'JOURNALISM IS NOT C

The wait for justice for Nimalarajan Mylvaganam, murdered Jaffna journalist

The Sri Lankan Tamil journalist Nimalarajan Mylvaganam, called “the voice of Jaffna” and known for his critical reporting on government-linked paramilitary groups, was shot dead in his home in 2000. His case remains unsolved.

By Saroj Pathirana

/ 14 Feb 2025

A line of posters showing killings and crimes of impunity during the Rajapaksa government, including crimes against journalis

The fight to decriminalise same-sex relationships in Sri Lanka - Southasia Weekly #52

This week at Himal This week, Devana Senanayake writes about the fight to decriminalise same-sex relationships in Sri Lanka, following the path of dedicated queer activists who continue to challenge

By Raisa Wickrematunge

/ 10 Feb 2025

A cartoon of a laptop covered with a large chain and a gold padlock. The screen of the laptop says Nepal in white lettering o

State of Southasia #15: Sana Batool on anti-Shia violence in Pakistan

Journalist and researcher Sana Batool discusses the persecution of Shia Muslims in Pakistan and the apathy of the majority Sunni community

By The Editors

/ 16 Dec 2024

Hundreds gather in Peshawar to protest the militant attack on Shia Muslims in Parachinar on 21 November.

Sri Lanka’s traditional media risks being jettisoned with its old political guard

Social media has usurped the traditional media’s influence in Sri Lankan politics, particularly after the Aragalaya – and even any improvement in media freedom under the new NPP government cannot solve the industry’s entrenched problems

By Amantha Perera

/ 4 Dec 2024

A large crowd of Aragalaya protesters gather around two individuals breaking coconuts. Several activists at the scene are hol

The political economy of reporting on the War on Terror in the Afghanistan–Pakistan borderlands

Syed Irfan Ashraf’s ‘The Dark Side of Journalism’ and Saad Mohseni and Jenna Krajeski’s ‘Radio Free Afghanistan’ show how local journalists became both victims and agents of geopolitical conflict and an exploitative global media – and looked to push back

By Bakht Noor Nasar

/ 26 Nov 2024

Five local journalists wait on the wreckage of a minibus while reporting on an uprising of Taliban prisoners in Pul-e-Charkhi

Southasia Review of Books podcast #11: Sex, scandal and the death of a poet in 1970s Karachi

The journalists Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masood-Khan talk about their new book ‘Society Girl’, and their investigation into the mysterious death of the Pakistani poet Mustafa Zaidi, and Shahnaz Gul, the much-maligned woman at the centre of these events

By The Editors

/ 11 Nov 2024

The Mashriq newspaper from 1 December 1970 showing Shahnaz Gul (left) among stories on the election and Cyclone Bhola. One of

State of Southasia #05: Laxmi Murthy on journalism in crisis across Southasia

Journalist and editor Laxmi Murthy examines the stark deterioration of media independence and freedom of expression in Southasia, and its implications for elections and democracies

By The Editors

/ 3 Jun 2024

State of Southasia #05: Laxmi Murthy on journalism in crisis across Southasia

As India’s election heats up, soaring temperatures from climate change find little mention in mainstream media

Lukewarm coverage of the climate crisis in the Indian media fails to communicate safety measures against extreme heat-related risks this election season

By Aradhna Wal

/ 3 May 2024

As India’s election heats up, soaring temperatures from climate change find little mention in mainstream media