Localising a Global Controversy: Nepali Media Narratives on the Origin of COVID-19

The origins of COVID-19 have become a geopolitical controversy between China and Western countries, including the USA, and remain unresolved. This study examines how two prominent English-language newspapers in Nepal— The Kathmandu Post and The Rising Nepal —covered competing narratives surrounding the origin debates of COVID-19 from 2020 to 2023. Using quantitative content analysis, this study analysed 363 news items, including news reports, editorials and commentaries, employing an adapted version of Semetko and Valkenburg’s framing model. The findings show that conflict and attribution-of-responsibility frames dominated the news coverage, while origin narratives were frequently presented ambiguously. Statistical analysis indicates a significant association between media ownership and the tonal orientation of news coverage. The state-owned newspaper, The Rising Nepal , largely aligns with China’s zoonotic transmission narrative. In contrast, the privately owned The Kathmandu Post offered more diverse and critical perspectives, including a cautious engagement with the laboratory-leak hypothesis. By situating Nepal within competing global influences, this study contributes to Global South scholarship by demonstrating how media ownership and geopolitical sensitivity shape framing practices in pandemic communication.