tanka dhakal
Graduate Student-M.S. in Media (Investigative Reporting) I Fellow at the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism
Contact Information
Research and Creative Interests
- Investigative Journalism
- Cross-Border Journalism
- Climate Change and Media
- Media representations of climate refugees
- journalism history
- Local Reporting
- Environment, Science, Climate Change and Community Reporting
- narrative journalism
- Transparency in journalism
- environmental communication
- Journalism to connect community and Science
- Solutions Journalism
- data journalism
- Global Media
- Democracy and Media
- Emotions and Media
- Gender and Media
- media & LGBTQ
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Biography
tanka dhakal is an M.S. student with a concentration in Investigative Journalism and is a Fellow at the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism. He is interested in using investigative reporting techniques to bring overlooked stories of local communities to light.
Prior to joining Indiana University, dhakal was(is) doing reporting from Nepal and beyond as an independent journalist. He covers[ed] issues related to the environment, climate change, science, migration, psychological health, and marginalized communities, including LGBTQIA+.
His work has been published in NPR, The Third Pole [Dialogue Earth], IPS News, ICIJ, The Guardian, NBC News, ARIJ, Asia Democracy Chronicles, Wisconsin Watch, Blue Dot Living, NIMJN, HimalKhabar, Deshsanchar, Online Khabar, and Nepali Times, among others.
He was part of the global investigative reporting project Trafficking Inc. led by ICIJ, where he contributed from Nepal to bring story of human rights violations of migrant workers in Arab nations by multinational companies, including Amazon.
dhakal is deeply committed to watchdog journalism aimed at exposing wrongdoing and holding those in power accountable. He is equally passionate about telling the stories of communities who are taking initiative to solve the problems they face without waiting for outside intervention, adopting a solutions journalism perspective.
He believes that field reporting is crucial to capturing the full scope of stories ranging from the impact of climate change to migration and wrongdoing. He hopes to remain on the ground, telling stories that matter to the communities around him and beyond.
He holds an M.A. in Rural Development, a B.A. in Sociology and Rural Development, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Counseling Psychology from Tribhuvan University in Nepal. He is passionate when it comes to the environment, climate change, psychological health, and marginalized communities.
He sees water as calm, wind as liberty, and sky as possibilities. As a coping mechanism, he enjoys crocheting and nature photography.
Published Work:
- Neglected Soil in Nepal
- Mt. Everest is plagued by garbage. These Nepali women are transforming it into crafts
- Trafficking Inc. investigation
- Probing for Probe’s Sake: Aircraft Accident Investigations in Nepal
- Nepal’s once-thriving community forests face existential crisis
- Nepal’s migrant workers eye overseas jobs as climate threats loom
- Silent Killer: How Bullying at School is Killing Nepali Children
- Songs for saving
- ‘I had to speak up’: Two Northwoods friends push Wisconsin DNR to protect lakeshore forests