Sayed Mahdi Hussaini
Bayan News – March 17 coincides with National Reporters’ Day in Afghanistan. Exactly five years ago today, a group of prominent media officials in Afghanistan, in a coordinated effort with relevant government agencies of the previous Afghan government, attempted to designate March 27 as National Reporters’ Day.
In the previous government, this occasion was warmly welcomed and celebrated. It was a time when the challenges faced by journalists and the achievements of Afghanistan’s media were discussed and examined. However, this occasion arrives at a time when, on one hand, there is no independent and impartial media, and on the other hand, media outlets have collapsed due to financial problems, leading to hundreds of journalists becoming unemployed and leaving their profession.
Abdul Raqib Fayaz, one of the reporters, stated that he lost his job in the past two years and is currently unemployed due to the collapse of media outlets. He mentioned the economic difficulties faced by journalists and emphasized that in the current situation, hundreds of journalists in Kabul and the provinces of Afghanistan are jobless, and the relevant organizations do not provide necessary support.
According to this reporter, media outlets have also faced severe economic problems in the past two years, and according to available statistics, more than 150 media outlets have ceased publication in various provinces.
This reporter believes that the current situation has provided an opportunity for abuse by so-called supporters of journalists and media institutions. Most of these so-called supporters have received large projects from international organizations supporting journalists, using the economic difficulties faced by journalists, but they have never approached real journalists in Afghanistan.
He further stated that these organizations have received projects from international organizations supporting journalists, using the name, profession, and reputation of journalists who have become homebound and suffer from economic problems, and they have engaged in illicit trade using the same method.
Meanwhile, Rohullah Ya’qubi, another reporter, mentioned that he has worked in various Afghan media outlets for more than 12 years but has been unemployed for the past two years. He stated that in the past two years, there has been no support from domestic and international organizations that claim to support media. Everything done in the name of Afghan journalists has been mafia-like.
He urged the Taliban to immediately revoke the licenses of these organizations if they identify financial corruption and misuse of journalists’ names.
The reporter also appealed to international organizations supporting media outlets not to provide support to organizations that use journalists’ names and present themselves as supporters of media.
This occasion comes at a time when, like in the past, there is no freedom of expression in Afghanistan. There is no accurate information dissemination authority within the current government structure, and journalists have been subjected to the policies of the existing regime in reflecting their reports.
