BY BIBEK SHRESTHA,Kathmandu, Oct. 9: TikTok officials faced a flurry of questions over monetisation, copyright, child safety, misinformation and content moderation at a masterclass on journalism and digital
storytelling held at the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (CDJMC), Balkhu, on Thursday.
The TikTok Masterclass on Journalism and Digital Storytelling, organised by TikTok in collaboration with CDJMC, brought together journalism scholars, content creators, influencers and media professionals to discuss creative storytelling, responsible content creation and emerging practices in digital journalism.
The event was divided into four sessions: a masterclass on modern journalism and storytelling; a trust and safety session on misinformation and responsible content; a panel discussion on the future of journalism; and a session on newsroom experience and content creation.
Karan Parihar, a Dubai-based content creator, opened the programme with a session on creative storytelling, demonstrating how journalists and content creators can use TikTok’s built-in features to engage audiences.
The second session became more contentious when Sarika Iqbal, TikTok’s communications and public relations officer, joined the programme via Zoom to discuss trust and safety, misinformation and responsible content.
Iqbal emphasised the importance of following TikTok’s Community Guidelines, using audience-content preference features and understanding the platform’s transparency mechanisms concerning restricted accounts.
Her presentation was followed by questions from participants about algorithmic bias, children’s excessive use of the platform and the rapid spread of misinformation.
Responding to concerns about children’s use of TikTok, Iqbal said the company was serious about child safety and combating misinformation. She pointed to measures including screen-time limitations and child-friendly policies.
The response, however, left questions about whether such measures are sufficient to protect children from excessive exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate content, particularly given the difficulty of enforcing age restrictions and moderating the vast volume of user-generated content on the platform.
Participants also questioned TikTok’s policies on political, social, religious and health-related misinformation.
The discussion also raised questions about the reach of TikTok’s digital literacy initiatives. While the platform has begun conducting literacy programmes in Kathmandu, where access to information and digital resources is comparatively greater, similar initiatives may be more urgently needed in rural and remote communities.
As TikTok increasingly serves as a source of news and daily information, limited media and digital literacy can leave users more vulnerable to misinformation, manipulated content and misleading claims.
According to research conducted by the Centre for Media Research Nepal (CMR Nepal), 2.94 per cent of misinformation during the 2025 general election was spread directly through TikTok.
The figure prompted further questions about the effectiveness of the platform’s systems for detecting and preventing misleading content, particularly when politically sensitive information can achieve rapid virality. Kiran Chapagain, TikTok’s government relations and public policy officer for Nepal, said TikTok was the only social media platform to have collaborated with the Election Commission in efforts to combat misinformation during the election.
Yet questions about the platform’s broader responsibilities remained. Participants raised concerns over the moderation of vulgar content, hate speech and misinformation, as well as the challenges faced by users in rural areas with limited digital literacy.
The panel discussion was chaired by Dr. Shreeram Paudel, a lecturer at CDJMC, and included Chapagain, Prateek Pradhan, editor-in-chief of Baahrakhari, and Roneeshma Shrestha, a television host and content creator.
Speaking on behalf of the department, Dr. Paudel said Tribhuvan University had already introduced subjects such as AI in Journalism, Combating Misinformation and Digital Media at Master’s level. He argued that AI and digital media should also receive greater attention in MPhil and PhD programmes. “The university is becoming digital gradually; however, there is a greater need to include AI and digital media in MPhil and PhD programmes,” he said.
Having joined the programme later, Prof. Dr. Kundan Aryal, Head of the Department, also announced that the department is starting post graduate programme in content creation and digital production.
Pradhan stressed the importance of authenticity over speed in digital journalism.
“With the rapid use of smartphones, everyone has become a journalist. Although the medium has changed, journalistic processes and ethical responsibilities remain unchanged,” he said, stressing the need for journalists and content creators to verify information before publishing it.
However, some of the most pressing questions of the programme came from content creators themselves. One creator said he had received five million views on one of his videos but had not received any revenue from TikTok, while other platforms such as Facebook had begun sharing advertising revenue with creators. Another participant raised concerns about copyright infringement and the absence of an effective grievance mechanism.
“I create very authentic content, investing my time and creativity. Meanwhile, other creators use my content, including my watermark. I reported several cases of piracy five months ago, but TikTok has not responded yet,” the participant asked.
Addressing the monetisation issue, Chapagain said that, at present, creators in Nepal could earn money through TikTok Live.
————————————————
