Afghanistan's media

Independent media and freedom of expression have rarely been present in Afghanistan. Governments, except during the “Era of Democracy” in 1960s, have always controlled the media and used them as a propaganda tool for their own ends.

Afghanistan’s media could be divided into five different historic eras.

I. Evolution of Journalism (1868):

The first newspaper in Afghanistan, “Shamsulnahar”, was published in 1868 during the reign of Amir Shir Ali Khan. Its successor, Sarajul-Akhbar, was founded by a renowned Afghan poet and literary figure, Mahmud Terzi, in Amir Habibullah’s reign in 1893.

In 1929, radio was established in Afghanistan, which was the first radio station in the region. Afghanistan’s first news corporation, Bakhtar Information Agency (BIA), was established in 1939.

II. Era of Democracy (1960s):

The decade of 1960s is known as the “Golden Era” in Afghanistan’s history. Freedom of the media was for the first time stipulated in the 1964 constitution, and free press flourished throughout the country.

The first English newspaper was published during this period. The golden era, however, was soon terminated by the 1973’s coup and subsequent communist coup in 1978.

III. Soviet Invasion (1978 - 1992):

This period is known as the “Sovietisation” of Afghanistan’s journalism. The media has yet again suffered a strict ban.

However, Ahmad Rashid, a senior member of Far Eastern Economic Review, argues: “… despite certain setbacks, the period was also an important and positive time for the growth of the media in Afghanistan. Most notably, this period saw a large influx of equipment and infrastructure development… The period introduced a new generation of Afghans to careers in journalism through Soviet training programmes.”

IV. Media under the Taleban (1995 – 2001):

The Taleban closed down all independent media. The state’s radio and television broadcast only religious programmes and news about the Taleban’s activities.

Furthermore, media equipment imported during the communist era was destroyed during the factional fighting between mojahedin and subsequently by the Taleban. The Taleban banned photography and music.

The television and radio programmes were not popular with the audience and this has resulted in a tremendous tendency towards foreign media.

V. Post-Taleban media:

The media has flourished in Afghanistan since 2001. Freedom of speech and expression reappeared after years of censorship and a strict ban on free media under the Taliban. The print media has fared better than the broadcast media.

More than 200 publications are currently printed throughout the country. However, the quality of the print media remains very poor because of the lack of government support for the private media and the lack of any other sources of finance, as a paper retailing at 10 cents costs at least 30 or 40 cents to produce.

As a result, most of the current newspapers gradually lose their independence and become affiliated with political parties.

Independent media:

"The state of media in Afghanistan today is not zero, it is minus zero,...Internews has a done a great job in Central Asia, Indonesia and other parts of the world where they have helped create independent media. It is critical that we extend that work to Afghanistan where much of what we think of as 'journalism' has been destroyed.” (Rashid, 2002)

The last four years have been a conducive atmosphere for the private media to prosper in Afghanistan. However, there are almost no financially independent papers; governmental agencies, international organizations, or political parties either sponsor most…" (Newsweek, 2004)

Political Challenges:

Although freedom of speech and freedom of expression are enshrined in the new Afghan constitution, the media still faces political pressure and constraints. The government has immense influence on the private media. According to Reporters Without Borders, the media is “under the government’s thumb”.

Furthermore, Afghanistan is an ultra-conservative Islamic country. Ariana and Tolo, two independent television channels, have several times received threats and warnings by individuals, government authorities, local warlords and even the Afghan Supreme Court.

Economic factors:

Newspapers in Afghanistan have very low circulation. Television, too, is viewed in limited provinces because of lack of electricity. Furthermore, advertisement is not yet a lucrative business for the media industries in Afghanistan.

Almost all newspapers, periodicals, radio and television channels are dependent on foreign donors’ funding. Surveys and studies by the Internews have shown that many media company owners in Afghanistan are not clear about their economic strategy.

Social challenges:

The Afghan audience is largely fragmented. In the capital, people would like to view entertainment programmes, mostly Indian and western films and music. The case is very similar in certain provinces, especially in the north.

In the south and southeast, however, people are extremely conservative and they dislike any programmes counter to their religious and traditional values. This creates a fundamental problem to the all television channels to meet the demands of their audience.

Technological factors:

Compared to the state-run broadcasting studios that still use outdated Russian equipment, private broadcasters are well-equipped with modern technology. However, in order to deliver a better service and communicate with the outside world, they need further advanced equipment.

Conclusion:

Independent media have flourished over the past four years, but they are still struggling for sustainability. No independent newspapers or broadcasters are self-sufficient. They receive funds from government institutions, political parties, or foreign organisations.

This adversely affects the independence of the private media outlets. Advertisement is not yet a highly profitable business for the media organisations in Afghanistan.

However, private media still generate a quarter of their expenditures through advertisement4, while state-run media do not make even one per cent of their expenses through advertisement.

Although private media have recently mushroomed in Afghanistan, their future appears to be pretty volatile, as they solely rely on external funding. Most media company owners are not clear about their economic strategy and lack expertise in broadening their audience and generating income through commercial means.

Despite the fact that the Afghan constitution and media law re-modified early this year endorse freedom of media, journalists continue to suffer pressure from government authorities and religious sects.

Recommendations:

- Workshops on business management of the media should be convened for private media sector personnel.

- Audience research projects should be carried out so that media organisations recognise their audience well.

- Distribution network should be expanded and developed.

- Newspapers should be made available at lower prices at academic places to increase circulation.

- Seminars on use of Hi-tech equipment should be held by foreign donor agencies.

- Newspapers with small circulation that share similar editorial agenda should merge in order to ensure their future existence.

- Because Afghanistan has always had a tradition of state-run media, even professional Afghan journalists are not very familiar with norms and principles of free and independent media. Thus, special workshops on free media should be organised for editors of media organisations.

- Both print and broadcast media should set up websites for their coverage in order to better communicate with the outside world and market their products as well.