Eshan Pokhrel’s news organization, like many things, was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My parents watch the news a lot when we’re at home,” he said. “Post-lockdown, when I was reading websites, I saw the difference in how they would report the news. There’s much more of a focus on outrage than there is on content.”
In 2020 he sought to fill that content need by launching PBPolitical.com opens a new website, a news website co-founded by his friend and George Washington University student, Michael Bodeker.
PBPolitical is run by college and high school students and focuses on American news and world news, breaking down how big topics affect citizens.
“We just try to be different,” he said. “We’re non-partisan, which is already kind of different. If you’re not already plugged into politics, that’s fine. We want people to think about how they would situate themselves on the political sphere. We want you to tap into making you think for yourself.”
PBPolitical started off focusing on just American news, according to Pokhrel. The site has expanded to covering international news as well.
“There’s a lot of different cultures and nationalities represented on our staff,” he said. “My parents are Nepali. From that, they have things that affect their own families. If you want to write about world stuff, that’s all for the better. We want to bring a holistic view and widen our audience’s view of the world.”
Pokhrel said he’s been able to find the balance between running a news website and being a Collat student during his freshman year. He’s now a sophomore in UAB's economics program.
“I’ve always had a mindset of getting things done as early as I can,” he said of his study habits. “I finish everything early in the day with classes early in the morning, and then at night and during the afternoon, I talk to my writers. I think I balance it pretty well.”
He runs the website’s social media presence and hosts its podcast.
And now, he’s also representing Collat as a senator in the Undergraduate Student Government Association Senate and looking to get involved in more on-campus activities.
Pokhrel says that his and his co-founder’s fields of study have broadened the scope of the website’s content. Most are business majors, he said, which makes them less afraid to cover topics like the recent regional bank failures.
“We wouldn’t be able to cover that without some sort of knowledge,” he said. “When we were doing research, we knew where to start, and we knew how to approach the research. I think that helps.”
Pokhrel encourages his peers to be passionate about pursuing their ideas.
“You need to make sure you really want to do something, because if you start investing in it, you have to want to stay committed,” he said. “Keep doing it and don’t let anything deter you.”
Anyone interested in writing for PBPolitical can email