Media history
The first newspaper, Shams-i Nahar (Morning Sun) was published in 1873 during the rule of Sher Ali Khan.[5]
Another newspaper, Siraj-ul-Akhbar (Lamp of the News) was initially published on January 11, 1906, with Abdul-Rauf as editor. After this first and only issue in Persian language, its publication stopped. It was revived in October 1911 by Mahmud Tarzi, the editor and owner of the newspaper who was critical of the friendship between the British Empire and Afghanistan. Mahmud Tarzi became known as the pioneer of Afghan journalism, in 1916 he famously wrote: "Siraj Al Akhbar Afghaniya is neither British, nor Russian nor French nor Italian nor German nor Chinese or Japanese. It is a Muslim newspaper and, in that, it is specifically an Afghan newspaper. Whatever it says, whatever melody it sings, is from an Afghan point of view and stems from the tone of Afghan national dignity." In 1919, under King Amanullah Khan, Aman-i-Afghan (Afghan Peace) replaced Siraj al-Akhbar, serving as an organ of the government, while several smaller private journals appeared under different ministries.[6] Along with these developments, Radio Kabul began broadcasting in 1925, which inaugurated a new era of mass media in the country.[6] The 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan and the Press Law of 1965 provided for freedom of the press, within the boundaries of appropriate behavior. The 1960s saw a rapid growth of television services around the world, including most developing countries. The conceptual foundation of Television in Afghanistan to improve literacy rate and specific technical recommendation for initial launch was first published in 1967 by Dr. Hafiz Sahar, Chief Editor of national morning newspaper, in his academic work in New York University.[7][8] It was not until 1978, due to political instability in the 1970s, that the first TV channel was launched in Kabul with a grant aid from Japan. The press was editorially independent from government but was instructed to safeguard the interests of the state and constitutional monarchy, Islam, and public order. Afghan journalism progressed and developed from the 1950s through to the 1970s, though it remained limited.
When King Zahir Shah's government was overthrown in the 1973 coup by his cousin Daoud Khan, approximately 19 newspapers were shut down and media came under severe restriction, ending a period of relative freedom.[9] The first color television broadcasting appeared in 1978.[9] The media fell into the control of Soviet influences during the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1992.[10]
In the late 1990s, media under the Taliban government was characterized by strict media laws, including the banning of television.[9] The Taliban instigated the destruction of television sets in 1998.[11] People caught with a television in their homes were subject to monetary fines, flogging, or imprisonment. Most media operated from other countries, except for a small area in northern Afghanistan, which had its own television service called Badakhshan Television. It broadcast news and films for around 5,000 viewers for three hours a day.[12][13] All television stations had been shut down by order of the Taliban,[9] and printed newspapers were forbidden to publish commentary, photos, or readers letters. The radio stations under Taliban control broadcast nothing other than religious programs and selected news. Around 70% of the population listened to its broadcasts.[11] In 2000, the Taliban government launched The Islamic Emirate, an English-language newspaper designed to counteract information produced by the "enemies of Islam".[11] Only Russia, Czech Republic and Serbia had news bureaus based in Kabul due to instability.[9] The Kabul TV center was converted into a military barracks, and journalists were not permitted to work with foreign media.[11] The media environment remained bleak until the overthrow of the Taliban government in late 2001.
The Afghan media has experienced a rapid growth during the Karzai administration in the early 2000s, with dozens of TV stations reestablished around the country. Some of these include Tolo, Ariana Television Network, Lemar, Shamshad, and the state-owned Afghanistan National Television. Over two hundred radio stations have also been established. As of 2019, there are over 1,800 media outlets in the country.[2] All media flourished under Afghanistan's new rules, though journalists do undergo self-censorship; penalties are still in place for defaming individuals and running material contrary to the principles of Islam.[13]
Some government officials have used their positions to maintain their own communications facilities, as national and local governments own or control several dozen newspapers and many electronic media outlets.[14] A 2004 media law prohibits censorship, but requires registration of periodicals with the Ministry of Information and Culture; in 2005 some 250 periodicals were registered.[14] International organizations have been training new journalists since the fall of the Taliban.[12] However, due to instability in Afghanistan, journalists have been as highly targeted as soldiers, as shown by instances of kidnapping and death threats.[15] An NGO named Nai (meaning flute, an important symbolic instrument for broadcasting) tracks violence against journalists with its Media Watch Data.[16] More than 100 journalists also protested a raid on a private TV station which drew concern of further government interference in reporting.[17]
One of Afghanistan's largest independent news agencies is Pajhwok Afghan News, which was founded in 2004 by Afghan journalists who worked with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. It has reporters in nearly every province, and publishes stories online in English, Dari and Pashto.[18] Bakhtar News Agency, another wire service, is run by the Afghan government. Khaama Press was established by an Afghan journalist Khushnood Nabizada in 2010 with an aim to report stories in English. It later started to publish contents in Persian and Pashto in addition to English.
Although many fewer Afghan women than men work as journalists, female Afghan reporters and editors are increasingly making their voices heard not just on traditionally "feminine" topics like education and health, but on larger issues affecting Afghanistan, such as the tension between tradition and modernity.[19] Shukria Barakzai founded the weekly bilingual Women's Voice to campaign for women's rights. She was elected to the House of the People (or Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the National Assembly of Afghanistan), and speaks up for hopes that a better and freer press will lead to strong democracy and civil society.[20] One of the most high-profile government attacks on press freedom occurred in 2008 when presenter Mohammad Nasir Fayyaz of Ariana Television Network was arrested for criticizing members of the cabinet. He was later released without charge.[21] During the Afghan presidential election, 2009 there were some reports of attacks on press freedom.[22] On April 30, 2018, nine journalists lost their lives in an insurgent bombing in Kabul, the deadliest incident against journalists since 2001.[23] By the end of the year a total of 14 journalists and media workers were killed in Afghanistan.[24] In 2020, journalist Zahra Joya founded Rukhshana Media, the country's first feminist news agency.[25] Most female Afghan journalists were forced to leave their jobs after the takeover.[26][27][28]
