Kuensel (which means “clarity” in Dzongkha, the local language spoken in Bhutan) is the national newspaper of the Bhutanese kingdom. It had a monopoly on the local Bhutanese newspaper market until 2006 when two privately owned newspapers were launched in the country.
Media assets
Publishing: Kuensel
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Managed (ISM)
Ownership and governance
Kuensel corporation is 51% owned by the government, which makes the key decisions regarding the company’s management.
Source of funding and budget
Kuensel is funding itself mostly from commercial revenues, including sales of ads, sales of printing services as well as sales of newspaper copies. In 2022, the company had a turnover of BTN 120.9 (US$ 1.5m), according to a financial report filed with the stock exchange.
Editorial independence
There are no rules imposed by the government on Kuensel and no evidence of interference by government bodies in the newspaper’s editorial coverage.
No domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate Kuensel’s editorial independence have been identified.
September 2023