Development of media in Afghanistan

An interesting look into the development of news media in post-Taliban Afghanistan. This U.S. Institute of Peace report explores the rapid rise of local media, especially radio, and offers a useful case study to study the development of vibrant media in post-conflict societies and their inherent fragility after initial successes.

Radio flourished in Afghanistan due to its inexpensiveness, low-maintenance and ubiquity of airwaves. Spotty electricity rendered televisions useless and print media suffered due to high rates of illiteracy and difficulties in distributing newspapers over harsh terrain and shattered roads. From the early days of the new post-Taliban government, radio became a key tool for communicating with citizens. As various radio channels aired in different languages often in the same show and spotlighted cultural and regional issues, it had an integrating effect.

International broadcasters and journalists contributed to the development of local media by extending professional training to local journalists and providing a model for being the government’s watchdog.

However, as Afghan local media matured and grew in the past six years, it unleashed the voice of the common people, bringing with it calls for social change and accountability. The government has often tried to resist this and tried to censor it through intimidation.

The Afghan media were virtually nonexistent less than six years ago, yet it developed into a promising new force for social and political change. Strategically the initial media devel¬opment efforts were successful and paved the way for a future of vibrant local media, professional national communication capacity, and responsible international media coverage. Notwithstanding, the outlook since initial intervention in 2002 is troubling. Recently the fledgling media sector has come under attack from several institutions of Afghan society, including the government, police, militias, and Islamic clerical councils.

The advocacy organization Media Watch compiled a list of threats to media freedom in Afghanistan from January 2006 through February 2007. According to its report harassment of media outlets and professionals included beatings, insults, fines, intimidation, detention of journalists, and lawsuits against media outlets. One of the more troubling trends of the Afghan government has been its increasing tendency to restrict information and journalism. On June 12 and 19, 2006, the Afghan Intelligence Agency issued a directive to accomplish this aim. The agency distributed a list of restrictions on Afghan journalists to limit reports of the country’s deteriorating security situation.

These restrictions have been echoed by Afghan reporters writing for the London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Wahidullah Amani and Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi find that 2007 was the worst year for Afghan journalists. Cases of governmental intimidation and assault increased from about 50 reported incidents in 2006 to more than 70 in 2007, according to the Independent Association of Journalists of Afghanistan. In a survey of local media, the journalists' association also found that 70 percent of Afghan reporters were not able to elicit any information, when they went to governmental departments and ministries.