Dahal blames ‘journalistic ego’ for Hilton Hotel fire fallout
Dahal said the narrative pushed by the media significantly contributed to the controversy surrounding the fire. He urged journalists to maintain restraint and responsibility in their reporting.
KATHMANDU: Chair of the Nepal Film Development Board, Dinesh Raj Dahal, has claimed that the recent Hilton Hotel fire incident intensified due to the “ego-driven approach” in journalism rather than the Gen Z movement itself.
Speaking at a program organized by the Film Journalists Association in Kathmandu today, Dahal said the narrative pushed by the media significantly contributed to the controversy surrounding the fire. He urged journalists to maintain restraint and responsibility in their reporting.
“Everyone keeps asking how the Hilton Hotel burned. It did not burn because of the Gen Z movement alone. It escalated because of the way journalism framed it,” Dahal remarked.
Dahal argued that while the country and the tourism sector suffered a major setback from the incident, the investors did not incur losses. “The country faced damage. The tourism industry faced damage. But the investors did not face losses. They have already received Rs 7 billion from insurance. In fact, they gained around Rs 1.5 billion in the process,” he said.
According to him, when journalism operates with ego and personal victory in mind, it ultimately harms the nation and society.
“Ego-driven journalism does not build the country—it damages it,” Dahal warned.
