Editorial Standards & Integrity

The Kathmandu Post is a progressive newspaper. We believe in fairness and equality of opportunity. We believe that everyone—regardless of gender, caste, class, ethnicity, or sexual orientation—should be able to enjoy the same rights, privileges, and freedoms. Our news reporting and editorials reflect these beliefs and we remain committed to them through our journalism.

Our duty is to the truth, the community and our readers—not to private business interests, our owners or our advertisers.

We believe that everyone has a right to the truth—unblemished and unvarnished.

At a time when trust on news media is declining and there is growing scrutiny throughout the global news business, we have set the following guidelines—both for our journalists and readers—to help understand how we practice our journalism.

Ethics policy

We at The Kathmandu Post take every measure to ensure that we are telling the whole story, without fear of reprisal or favour to any interests. We shall make all effort to report without prejudice, taking all sides of the story into account. We will omit no detail that could potentially compromise the integrity or objectivity of the story. We will not willingly mislead our readers through selective reporting or cherry-picking of facts. We shall make every effort to reach out to the concerned parties—individuals and organisations—whenever another party makes a claim against them. Everyone should have an opportunity to respond to any allegations made against them.

Ownership structure

The Kathmandu Post is part of Kantipur Media Group (KMG), which is owned by Kailash Sirohiya. In addition to the Post, the company owns Kantipur Daily, Nepal magazine, Saptahik weekly, Radio Kantipur and Kantipur Television.

Conflict of interest

Our reporters and editors do not accept any gifts, honorariums, free junkets or any other form of compensation that could potentially harm the integrity of our reporting. When we review a restaurant, we do not accept free food and drink. We pay our way.

Exceptions include review copies of books sent to us by publishers and authors, and press tickets to films, theatre shows and performances. In each of these cases, the reporters shall make every effort to remain objective, and editors shall make every effort to ascertain whether the story is free of interest.

Our reporters accept no payment from any public servants, politicians, or governmental individuals and organisations. When it comes to private and non-governmental organisations, our reporters make every effort to refrain from any form of compensation from the individuals and organisations they are directly involved in covering.

Reporters cannot make their relatives and family members the subjects or sources of their own stories.

Reporting and opinion

We at the Post draw a hard line between reporting and opinion. The only opinions on our pages appear on the Op-Ed pages, as reviews and on the As It Is section of our On Saturday weekend edition. The editorial is the only space that reflects the opinion of the newspaper. All other opinion pieces published on the Op-Ed pages and under the As It Is section reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of The Kathmandu Post.

Reviews—books, films, theatre, restaurants—are written by our critics, who take literary, culinary, artistic or aesthetic values into account. We do not accept compensation for any kind of reviews.

An analysis is not opinion. An analysis is based on an interpretation of facts and a diverse selection of views. We will clearly mark all opinion pieces as such, in the paper, on the website, and on social platforms.

All opinion pieces should be directed to the Op-Ed desk at [email protected].

Plagiarism

The Kathmandu Post does not tolerate plagiarism in any form. We believe in journalistic integrity and providing credit whenever it is due. All our sources will be clearly labelled.

Any contributors found to have plagiarised their submissions will be summarily blacklisted from the Post.

Please take note that plagiarism is not limited to just words but also ideas. When we build upon or move forward a story someone has already reported on, we will clearly cite them.

Sourcing and attribution

We will make all effort to obtain information “on the record.” But as this is not always possible, we will make all effort to make certain that the source is being truthful and accurate. We will also make an attempt, if possible, to obtain the same information from a different source who is willing to go on record. We understand that identifying the source of our information is vital to maintaining credibility in the eyes of our readers.

The identity of all confidential sources will be protected, limited to the reporter, the assignment editor and the chief editor.

If sources wish to speak to us off the record, they must make it clear at the very outset. The Post is unable to hold publication because a source has cold feet. Reporters will make all effort possible to communicate whether the conversation is on or off the record.

To learn how to send tips, confidential or otherwise, please visit this page.

Corrections

We make mistakes and it is our policy to correct errors as soon as we notice them. These errors can range from fixing typos to mistakes that substantially change the thrust of the original story. Typos will be fixed without a corrective note. More substantial errors, such as mistakes in attribution and data, will be updated along with a corrective note. Major mistakes will be addressed through an Editor’s Note, displayed prominently.

All our corrected articles can be found here.

Letters to the editor

We welcome feedback, whether through engagement on our social media profiles or through the paper via letters to the editor. Letters will be edited for brevity and grammar.

See our instructions on how to send a letter to the editor.

Fiction and poetry

The Kathmandu Post publishes fiction and poetry on literary and artistic merit on a weekly basis. These pieces will be clearly marked as fiction or poetry.

Please send all fiction and poetry submissions to [email protected].

Advertising Guidelines

The Kathmandu Post will not allow any relationship with an advertising agency or an advertiser to affect the Post’s editorial integrity. All advertising content will be distinguishable from the publication’s editorial content. Any advertising content that is made to look or may appear like editorial content will be clearly labelled as “advertisement” or “sponsor content.” The Post, if needed, will use its discretion to refuse or remove any advertisements that undermine the integrity or harm the reputation of the publication or the parent company.

Sponsor Content Guidelines

Sponsor Content is any content created or commissioned by advertisers in collaboration with the Post’s marketing team. The sponsored content do not reflect the views and decisions of the Post’s editorial team. As a clear distinction to separate it from the editorial content, the Post will prominently display the term ‘SPONSOR CONTENT’ on all sponsored material—in print, online, and on social media platforms. At the request and depending on the agreement with the advertiser, the Post may allow readers to comment and engage with sponsor content on its platforms.