There are currently more than 4,400 online outlets registered with Press Council Nepal, the country’s media regulatory body. However, analysts say Nepal’s media industry,“despite diverse media platforms”, often lacks innovative storytelling techniques to draw in newer and younger audiences, which make up more than half of Herne Katha’s audience.

Both Chapagain and Kumar, who previously worked together on BBC Sajha Sawal, a popular debate programme, say they want to go beyond just asking questions and demanding answers.

“Most of the stories in the mainstream media were from urban centres and they were only giving continuity to it,” Kumar said, referring to their motive for starting Herne Katha. “So there was this vacuum for stories that needed to be told, and we wanted to fill that gap in a creative and innovative way.”

And Herne Katha – which loosely translates to “stories to watch” in English – has filled that void, connecting with audiences and building a solid fan following.

The documentary series, which depicts stories through its simple and linear narrative, has more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube. One of its most popular videos is about the Rautes, a nomadic ethnic group, and has amassed over 4 million views.

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According to Kumar, it usually takes weeks of research and filming to complete an episode, which ranges from 20 minutes to about an hour. Their small team of six has completed 118 episodes, which are put online every 15 days, barring disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

So far, they have travelled to 52 of Nepal’s 77 districts, telling stories from the mountains to the valleys and plains.

Some of the topics they have tackled include the love story between two women; a child bride’s journey to becoming an aspiring politician; and the perilous work of honey hunters. Their emotional storytelling, combined with Chapagain’s distinctive narration style, has made both viewers and hosts cry.

“Herne Katha is able to dwell on simplicity that most shows that try to be overly political in Nepal miss out on,” said Pratibha Tuladhar, a former journalist and ex-colleague of Chapagain and Kumar. “It is subtle but powerful. It does not present political debates, but the politics of the world we live in are clearly stated.”

And that is precisely why the series and its hosts have become familiar across Nepal, despite growing competition in the increasingly crowded Nepali content space. Previous work on BBC Sajha Sawal also helped Herne Katha establish credibility and trust among viewers.

Herne Katha is a breath of fresh air in the country’s online news scene, with digital outlets and social media content creators preferring to bank on clickbait views based on one-sided narratives with sensational takes.

Dharma Adhikari, associate professor at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou, China, cited Routine of Nepal Banda as among the online platforms lacking in journalistic standards.

Routine of Nepal Banda is one of the country’s biggest online news sources, offering bite-sized news items with limited context or background. It started as a Facebook account sharing information on the general strikes of the early 2010s, and now has nearly 6 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

“The editorial oversight, news values, and ethical guidelines needed for them to be called journalism are largely missing, although they may reflect attributes of journalism,” said Adhikari, also a media critic for the Kathmandu Post newspaper.

“These attributes may mislead audiences into thinking that they are just another legitimate form of journalism.”

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Some online outlets, however, do offer well-researched content, even though they may not necessarily fit into the traditional journalism framework.

Through its explainer videos on political and current affairs, The Nepali Comment on YouTube seeks to “simplify complex topics in a visually engaging way in Nepali” and has nearly 300,000 subscribers.

According to Adhikari, the proliferation of such digital outlets and social media accounts is challenging legacy media, which are losing subscriptions and sponsorships to them.

Over the past few years, online news outlets such as The Record Nepal, Setopati and Ukaalo have introduced subscription and crowdsourcing models to fund in-depth and investigative stories, respectively, though such endeavours are still relatively new in Nepal.

“Legacy media and emerging portals seem to lack significant innovation, with time and resources primarily allocated to traditional reporting,” Adhikari said. “I see some efforts in podcasting and graphics journalism, but sustainability remains uncertain as the main focus remains on textual storytelling.”

While the co-founders of Herne Katha initially pooled their savings to start their initiative, Chapagain says they are now partnering with sponsors – whose brand names appear before the start of an episode – and receiving funds from international donors, though their editorial line remains fiercely independent.

The team is still exploring a sustainable business model that would allow them to focus more on content and less on financial operations, she adds.

Tuladhar, the former journalist, says the team’s sound editorial judgment and skill for crafting stories make Herne Katha appealing to audiences.

Nepali news media could scale to new heights if senior journalists “set some good examples of how media still deserves respect by upholding good journalism”, Tuladhar noted.

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Chapagain and Kumar, along with Herne Katha, are on that path and creating impact through their journalism. After an episode on a volunteer teacher’s quest to revive a public school in a rural area, his mission received funding and support from viewers. The issues raised in other episodes have also drawn the attention of government officials.

Appreciation from the public powers the Herne Katha team. “People have told us that the stories on Herne Katha have taught them to appreciate the little things in life, to live life,” Kumar said.

Both creators say they will continue diversifying the stories and hope to include them from all 77 districts and the diaspora.

“When we are telling a story, we feel we should at least live it for a day to know what it is really like,” Chapagain said. “What we are trying to do is tell the stories of ordinary people and make their stories seen.”