By Rezina Tuladhar, Yesnepali

NEW YORK, USA: From his early days in Nepal’s television industry to becoming an influential voice of the Nepali diaspora in the United States, Kishor Panthi has built a distinguished career through journalism, storytelling and community-focused media leadership.

With more than two decades of experience in journalism, Panthi began his professional media career at Sagarmatha Television in 2007, where he worked as a news anchor and editor. He later joined ABC Television Nepal, serving as a news editor and program host from 2008 to 2010 before becoming the network’s U.S. representative in 2010, a role he continues to hold.

In 2012, he founded Khasokhas, a New York-based Nepali community news platform, where he serves as founder and editor-in-chief. Published in Nepali and English, Khasokhas has become an important source of information for Nepali-speaking communities across the United States, particularly on immigration, social issues, housing, health care, politics and community affairs.

A Nepali-American journalist passionate about amplifying underreported stories, Panthi has built Khasokhas into a bilingual platform that helps bridge the information gap between Nepal and the United States. He also leads the editorial team at NepYork, an English-language news platform highlighting the achievements, experiences and contributions of Nepalis in America. Through both publications, he focuses on bringing community stories and perspectives to a wider audience.

Panthi’s professional achievements include becoming the first Nepali journalist accredited by the U.S. Department of State, according to his professional biography. He was named a 2023 Diversity Leadership Fellow by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), of which he has been a member since 2017.  His contributions to community journalism earned him the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, signed by former U.S. President Joe Biden. He also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of his humanitarian contributions through journalism.

Panthi has participated in several journalism fellowship programs at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. His fellowships include the 2024 Elections Reporting Mentorship Cohort, the 2023 Small Business Reporting Fellowship, the 2022 New York State Elections Reporting Fellowship and the 2021 City Elections Reporting Fellowship. He was also selected for the 2021 Education Reporting Fellowship at the graduate school.

Beyond reporting and editorial leadership, Panthi is an accomplished author. His published books include Kampan (2018), Zero Mile (2022) and Untranslatable (2022). Kampan documents true stories of loss, resilience and triumph following Nepal’s devastating earthquake. Zero Mile offers 111 immigration tips for immigrants and others interested in understanding the immigration process. Untranslatable explores emotions that are universal but difficult to express or translate across languages and cultures.

Panthi has also contributed to discussions about the challenges and opportunities facing ethnic and community-based journalism. In 2023, he served as a panelist at the Asian American Journalists Association’s convention in Washington, D.C., participating in a discussion titled “Asian Media: Challenges and Opportunities in In-Language Journalism.” In 2022, he was a featured speaker at a town hall hosted by the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and its Center for Community Media at the City University of New York to mark the launch of the Asian Media Initiative.

In 2025, Panthi participated in a panel discussion at the Asian American Journalists Association’s (AAJA) annual conference in Seattle, organized by Press Forward. The discussion explored the experiences of building news organizations from the ground up to serve Asian American communities, focusing on bridging information gaps and empowering communities through trusted journalism. The panel also addressed the challenges of launching community-focused newsrooms, audience engagement and the importance of trusted local media.

Panthi was also invited to speak at the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) 2025 Regional Conference in New York, where organizers highlighted his more than two decades of experience in community journalism and his work leading Khasokhas and NepYork.  He has also been a member of the Education Writers Association since 2021, reflecting his engagement with specialized and community-focused journalism.

In 2024, Khasokhas received a $100,000 grant from Press Forward to strengthen local journalism and expand coverage of underserved communities.  Panthi’s journey reflects the growing contributions of Nepali journalists to the international media landscape. Through his commitment to journalism and community storytelling, he continues to connect Nepal with the Nepali diaspora while amplifying voices that deserve to be heard.