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Media in Afghanistan’s Major Provinces

Media in Afghanistan’s Major Provinces
Mohammad Shafiq Haqpal, journalist

Much attention has been paid by the international community to events in Kabul. Provinces have received relatively less coverage in international media when in fact it is in the provinces that majority Afghan opinion is formed. Since the downfall of the Taliban, over 590 newspapers, weeklies and magazines have been registered across Afghanistan. Of these 435 are in Kabul and 155 in provinces. Of independent or semi independent media there are some 57 in provinces. There are 13 TV stations in Kabul alone, some viewed also in provinces. Moreover there are 55 private radio stations and five news agencies serving across Afghanistan. There are hundreds of Internet Web sites belonging to private entrepreneurs, although official statistics is not available on these. Many of the private media have been under huge pressure to survive, many for financial reasons, and international attention to these is also waning. However, it will be argued that it would be impossible to re-build Afghanistan’s civil society without a healthy independent media. And it follows on that without a thriving media operating in provinces across Afghanistan it would be impossible to debate and discuss people’s preferences in remote mountainous villages. Development, reconstruction and good governance can only go hand in hand with healthy media and discussion across the country where the population at large feels involved.

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