Several journalists have complained about difficulties and restrictions imposed by the Taliban on access to information. They say that access to information faces serious challenges, and that obtaining information and confirming events has become almost impossible. Meanwhile, some journalists say the Taliban regime has made free access to information impossible, and that media outlets operating under the group’s control effectively depend on official Taliban information, with their output serving a propaganda purpose.
Sharara (pseudonym), a journalist, complained about the difficulty of accessing information under Taliban rule and said that access to information faces serious restrictions and challenges. According to her, journalists and media workers operating under Taliban control also face security pressures, work restrictions, and risks arising from media activity when receiving, verifying, and publishing information.
The journalist added: “Fear of identification, detention, threats or pressure on family members has led to self-censorship among journalists and sources.”
Sharara said: “Journalists working with Taliban-controlled media outlets also face restrictions and, in many cases, cannot reflect accurate and objective information in their reports. Women journalists face even greater challenges in accessing information, because some Taliban officials are unwilling to speak with women, and women journalists are forced to seek help from their male colleagues to obtain information.”
Tayyeb (pseudonym), a journalist who works for media outlets under Taliban control, said that access to information has become very difficult. He added: “An incident or event occurs, but sometimes it takes more than two days to receive confirmation from the relevant Taliban bodies before we can publish it.”
The journalist added: “If we do not keep the Taliban informed, we are interrogated, even if the matter is true. In many cases, Taliban officials also refuse to comment, and we are forced to abandon publishing the story. We cannot publish most stories related to legal issues and the problems of the people.”
Kawsar (pseudonym), another journalist, identified several fundamental challenges facing journalists in Afghanistan, especially women journalists. She said: “Restrictions on direct access to officials. In many cases, we journalists face problems when trying to make contact, conduct interviews, or enter government offices. Also, no Taliban official is willing to be interviewed by a woman, especially on the subjects of women’s education and work.” According to her, the lack of transparency and official information is another challenge for journalists.
The journalist added: “Many sources are afraid of speaking directly with the media. Even when journalists gain access to information, they cannot publish it because of security concerns. Apart from these issues, women journalists also face gender-based restrictions, from limits on their presence in public places and the requirement to observe specific conditions and dress codes, to restrictions on traveling to remote areas and other limitations.”
Howaida (pseudonym), a journalist who works with a private media outlet inside Afghanistan, complained about the double standard Taliban spokespeople apply to journalists. According to her, one of the major challenges is that some Taliban spokespeople send the information needed for reporting to male journalists but do not send it to women journalists.
The journalist added: “Journalists also face serious challenges in terms of financial resources. Sometimes we cannot attend meetings because of transportation costs, since the financial situation of the media outlet is not good. Masks are another challenge. I have shortness of breath, and sometimes while reading the news I cannot breathe properly, so wearing a mask is difficult for me. Journalists lack motivation, and they are not encouraged or supported.”
Meanwhile, Sediqullah Tawhidi, an exiled journalist and former head of a media watchdog, said that since the fall of the republic, all areas of media activity in Afghanistan have been affected. According to him, journalists’ access to information has not only been restricted but also blocked.
Mr. Tawhidi said: “Particularly about security and military events, the necessary reporting does not take place, and only the information that the Taliban provide to journalists is published.” He added that security and political events covered by media outlets inside Afghanistan are in many cases based on official Taliban information and, according to him, serve a propaganda purpose.
The journalist said: “The Access to Information Law, which was approved during the republic, has been suspended by the Taliban, and now Taliban offices provide information to journalists only according to their own wishes and preferences.”
This comes as the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) announced two days ago, on the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, that journalists and media outlets face restrictions including pre-publication censorship, a ban on covering protests, and pressure to obtain approval before publishing certain content.
The AFJC said that restrictions on the activities of women journalists in both state and private media outlets have also increased, and that the broadcast and rebroadcast of programs from some international television networks have been banned.
According to the statement, the detention, threatening, and prosecution of journalists for independent coverage of events and for contact with media outlets operating outside the country are also among the other recorded cases.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
دشواریهای اطلاعرسانی؛ طالبان رسانهها را به تریبون تبلیغاتی خود بدل کردهاند
