Bimal Gautam
Bimal Gautam () is a Nepali journalist. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Lokantar News, a news media outlet based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Career
Gautam has worked in Nepali print, broadcast and digital media for more than two decades. Over his career, he has held editorial and reporting positions at national outlets including Rajdhani (newspaper), Kantipur Television, Kantipur, and the Republica (newspaper). He also served in an editorial role at the BBC World Service (Nepali Service).
In March 2013, he was appointed as the press advisor to Khil Raj Regmi, the interim Prime Minister of Nepal, and served in this role during the 2013–2014 transitional government. He also held positions in the Constitutional and Law Reporting Journalists Forum, where he focused on legal journalism.
Along with his work at Lokantar, Gautam serves as the General Secretary of the Digital Media Society, an organization representing digital news publishers in Nepal.
On 1 May 2024, Gautam joined a group of 31 editors from mainstream media in signing a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. In the memorandum, the editors condemned the police arrest of Kantipur Media Group Chairman Kailash Sirohiya at his newsroom, describing the government action as an attempt to intimidate the media and suppress press freedom in Nepal.
Awards and honors
Gautam has received honors from the Government of Nepal for his work in journalism:
- 2021 (2078 BS): Received the Press Council Resilient Mediapersons Award, presented by President Bidya Devi Bhandari during the 52nd anniversary of Press Council Nepal at Shital Niwas.
- 2025 (2081 BS): Won the National Journalism Award, presented by President Ram Chandra Paudel on National Journalism Day.