By Abdul Khalil Rasooli
Hundreds of journalists have been laid off since August 15, following a media shutdown in western Afghanistan. These journalists are reportedly facing problems at the moment. A large number of newspapers, radio, and visual media outlets have temporarily suspended their operations. They have resumed their activities with difficult conditions.
Journalists in the west of the country say that their activities are limited, stressing that the conditions are not convenient for them to continue. According to them, in the current situation, there is no hope for the media to continue its activities, and the media are facing severe financial shortages in their budgets.
There were more than 70 media outlets in the five western provinces of the country, employing hundreds of people in various sectors. In Herat province alone, there were about 30 media outlets, some of which were shut down or resumed with fewer employees. This beginning, according to journalists in the province, will not last long.
Hundreds of Afghan journalists in western provinces of the country have lost their jobs and more than 60 media outlets are permanently suspended, according to publishers. They emphasize that private media will shut down if the media is not supported.
Some publishers in Herat say that in the first days of the fall of the local government in the province, they did not broadcast any programs for a few days, and in fact, the media outlets were completely shut down.
Habibullah Farahi, the managing director of Asr TV in Herat, told 8am that the media outlet started operating in 2012. During this period, by producing and broadcasting various programs in the cultural, social, recreational, and sports sectors, it has been able to establish a special place among its viewers. He says that in the five years he has been in charge of the media, more than 30 people have been working for Asr TV, and about 35% of them were women. But now Farahi insists that with the Taliban in power, they have resumed broadcasting with significant restrictions. There are currently four male employees in charge of advancing all its works.
The situation of the media in other western provinces of the country is not good either. Some publishers in Nimroz, Badghis, Ghor, and Farah provinces find the future of this profession frustrating.
Noor Aqa Heriva, the publisher of Barna Radio and Television in Nimroz told 8am that the media outlet started operating in 2017 in Zaranj, the center of Nimroz province, with 18 male and female employees. He added that following the outbreak of the coronavirus, the number of his employees decreased. Since August, however, more employees of Barna Radio and Television faced permanent termination of employment, and now only eight people are working in different sections.
Various sections of Barna Broadcasting, including the news section, have been closed due to recent political developments in the country.
According to initial reports in Nimroz province, there were seven print media, radio and television, with 64 employees, including 13 women. Some of these media outlets are now shut down, and some have resumed operations with a small number of staff.
In Badghis province, the conditions for the media to continue to work have become extremely difficult.
Media publishers in the province say that the continuity of a media work is in grave danger, adding that many programs produced by Badghis media in the past no longer have the conditions to continue.
Nabiullah Binish, the managing director of Nariman Radio in Badghis, told 8am that they resumed operations on September 1 and the Taliban demanded the absence of female staff from Nariman Radio.
He believes that in the current situation, the media cannot survive without financial support, and the conditions for advertising in the markets have sharply decreased. According to him, no commercial and service companies are willing to invest in media advertising.
According to Mr. Binish, there is a high probability that the media will be shut down and a plan must be taken urgently by the supporting institutions to solve this problem.
In eight private media outlets in Ghor province, many employees have lost their jobs in the province. Speaking to 8am, Ghor media publishers said that some media workers had left the city of Firozkoh before the Taliban took control of Ghor and moved to the capital of the country and other provinces.
Maroof Saeedi, the managing director of Ghor Radio, told 8am that the Taliban had asked the authorities to submit their program packages to the Information and Culture Department for approval or rejection. He added that Radio Ghor had no financial means and could not meet the request of the Information and Culture Department.
Saeedi says that before the capture of Firozkoh, the capital of Ghor province, 18 people, including four women, worked in the media and now it is closed due to economic problems and restricted laws.
In Ghor province, in addition to the national radio and television, there were eight newspapers and radio stations before the Taliban returned to power, employing 124 employees, including 34 women. Many Ghor media outlets have now stopped functioning or have significantly reduced staff due to changes in the media, economic problems and power outages.
Some local media outlets in Ghor currently have no activity other than publishing news and reports through web pages.
In Farah province, some media outlets have downsized due to economic difficulties and political changes in the country. There were five private media outlets in the province, with 137 employees, including 15 women.
Media publishers in Farah province told 8am that after the Taliban came to power, they were forced to suspend a large part of their programs and lay off a number of their employees due to the lack of financial support for the media. Ibrahim Parhar, head of Orouj Radio in Farah province, told 8am that seven years ago, Orouj, the first FM radio station in Farah, started operating with 16 employees, six of whom were women. Before the fall of the government, they were broadcasting various programs, including news and reports, for up to 19 hours a day.
In Herat, six radios and six televisions are now completely shut down, and other media outlets have drastically reduced their production.
He emphasizes that 15 employees of this media outlet have been fired and only one person is working in the technical and broadcasting sector. The various sections of this radio program are out of order and have no production.
On the other hand, the officials of the free media protection institutions in the country consider the future of the free media worrying.
Nasir Nouri, head of media watchdogs at the office of Nai, a supporter of Afghanistan’s free media, told 8am that based on his information, more than 60 media outlets were operating in the western part of the country, some of which are closed. He adds that more than 500 people were working in these media, many of whom are now unemployed.
Mr. Nouri fears that some media outlets will close in the near future.
Currently, several print media outlets in Herat and four other western provinces are not active, and most of their activities are confined to social media. Reports from the office of Nai, a supporter of Afghanistan’s media, also reported the closure of 12 radio and television stations in Herat province alone.
However, with the rise of the Taliban, media publishers are worried about losing the millions of dollars they have invested in various sectors of the media.
In addition to the media shutdown, thousands of media workers who have been the only working member of their families for twenty years have lost their jobs and have no income to survive.