INFLUENCES OF NEW MEDIA TREND AMONG JOURNALIST IN NEPAL

Social media's interactive features have transformed journalism into a forum for the exchange of ideas, with platforms like blogs, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook playing increasingly vital roles in news dissemination. The value of the audience to the media has been reinforced by social media, not only as news sources, but also as news sensors. This research aimed to assess the effect of new media trend among journalists of Nepal. The study employed a descriptive crosssectional design, surveying 422 Nepalese journalists through snowball sampling. Face-to-face interviews covered demographics, journalism specifics, media usage, attitudes, perceptions, integration effects, challenges, and social media policies in media organizations. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20, and a p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The study reveals a predominant presence of younger adults aged 21-30 years (68.3% male) with 70.3% married, holding Bachelor's (52.8%) and Master's (36.0%) degrees, indicating a diverse mix of professionals in journalism. It underscores a notable shift towards digital platforms in Nepalese journalism, with online news sites and social media playing pivotal roles in sourcing and disseminating stories, complementing traditional media. Despite challenges such as intensified competition and concerns regarding journalistic integrity, participants perceive positive impacts of media integration, including increased collaboration and enhanced news efficiency. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for an online media policy for upholding professionalism and integrity in Nepalese journalism.