Abstract
This article examines the role of mass communication in museum promotion and public engagement in Nepal within the frameworks of cultural policy and new museology. Conceptualizing museums as communicative institutions, it explores how mass media mediates relationships between heritage, knowledge, and society. Drawing on international heritage conventions, Nepal’s constitutional and cultural policy provisions, museum communication theory, and qualitative insights from senior museum professionals, the study assesses the extent to which media contributes to museum visibility and cultural participation. The findings reveal a significant gap between Nepal’s normative commitment to cultural rights and freedom of communication and the practical, systematic use of media in museum governance. The absence of a dedicated museum law and integrated communication strategies have limited sustained media engagement. The article argues that media should be recognized as a core cultural policy instrument rather than a supplementary promotional tool and proposes policy-oriented recommendations to strengthen museums’ social relevance, accessibility and institutional sustainability in Nepal.