Protect Journalists Under Threat in Afghanistan

Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the Afghan media sector faces an existential crisis that has resulted in diminished access to information for Afghan citizens. In 2022, a year that started off with a massive evacuation effort by the international community, addressing related emergency support needs continued to be a priority for Internews.

We continue to refine our approaches to supporting media in exile, in conflict settings, and in closed and closing states. After 20 years of operating in Kabul, we have now restructured to implement programs remotely. While the challenges of managing a diverse and complex portfolio remotely with a scattered team are significant, a huge amount has been achieved thanks to the team’s prior relationship and knowledge of Afghan partners’ operational structures and systems, and their existing working relationships with key staff, as well as additional support from other Internews teams in Asia, IEU and IUS.

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“Throughout the year, Internews supported independent media outlets to pivot to new operational models. Some of these outlets are working from exile and others have been working publicly primarily from Afghanistan; all have been able to continue to produce important and valued content. These achievements by Internews’ Afghan partners are therefore extremely significant, as they continue to operate in an environment that is tremendously difficult and with increasing restrictions imposed on society and public life.”

-          Sharmini Boyle, Internews Country Director, Afghanistan

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Internews has been in Afghanistan for two decades, working alongside Afghan journalists, media entrepreneurs, and technologists as they fostered a media sector that, at its height, employed thousands of women, reached every province, and became one of the most trusted institutions in the country.

The turmoil in Afghanistan reminds us just how fragile the gains we make can be – from these colorful decades of support  – only to take a giant step backwards. This reinforces the need for vigilance in advancing the causes of human rights and inclusive democracy despite difficult odds.

We sincerely thank you for your donations, on behalf of our organization and the journalists serving their communities around the world. It wouldn’t be possible without you.

In the first year after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan lost almost 40% of its media outlets and 60% of its journalists. Now, those still reporting do so at the risk of censorship, termination, physical and psychological abuse, and arbitrary arrests. Women journalists are hit hardest: three-quarters of them are now unemployed. 

But as tensions increase, our work in Afghanistan has evolved well past media and journalism. We’ve come to realize our partners on the ground rely on us for broader support, and we’re expanding rapidly to fill that need. Keeping quality content in circulation means first prioritizing the physical safety of journalists on the ground. Once media outlets are safely relocated, they have space to be more critical of the Taliban authorities than those based in Afghanistan.

Throughout the past year, Internews has been supporting independent radio, TV, and online media outlets to pivot to new operational models. As potential income from ads and donors has greatly diminished, independent media outlets need financial support to continue to retain staff and produce content. Some of these outlets are working from exile, like the well-known 8AM Media (Hasht-s-Subh) and Khabarnama News Agency; others are still active in the country. All have continued to produce vital content for the Afghan people.   

We continue to prioritize:

• Offering asylum for those at risk.
• Supporting quality content production on compounding health, economic, and political crises.
• Countering mis/disinformation.
• Providing digital security.
• Tracking violations and attacks on journalists.

Internews has been in Afghanistan for two decades, working alongside Afghan journalists, media entrepreneurs, and technologists as they fostered a media sector that, at its height, employed thousands of women, reached every province, and became one of the most trusted institutions in the country. 

We cannot watch that progress be erased.  

We sincerely thank you for your donations, on behalf of our organization and the journalists serving their communities around the world. It wouldn’t be possible without you. 

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• Internews in Afghanistan

Thank you again for supporting Afghan journalists during this urgent time. In addition to helping their communities navigate Afghanistan’s challenging political, health, educational, food security and economic systems, journalists and media outlets are constantly at risk of facing political repercussions for fulfilling their mandate to freely provide information.

A recent survey of 300 female journalists across 22 provinces in Afghanistan conducted by the Association of Women in Radio and Television - Kabul (AWRT-K) with Internews’ support found that most (68%) women journalists had lost their jobs since the Taliban authorities took over. The majority (80%) cited media restrictions and authorities’ refusal to engage with female journalists as the biggest threat to their remaining active and having a voice in the Afghan media.

However, Afghan media outlets are continuing to make every effort to stay operational and provide information to the public. Internews’ Afghanistan program activities are moving forward with nine partners under four different projects producing content for dissemination by Afghanistan-based as well as exiled media outlets, on radio, TV, and online platforms.

Our Afghan journalist and media partners’ safety and long-term sustainability continue to be at the heart of our efforts – and we can't do this work without your commitment and support.

Thank you for supporting Afghan journalists during this urgent time. In addition to helping their communities navigate Afghanistan’s challenging political, health, educational, food security and economic systems, journalists and media outlets are constantly at risk of facing political repercussions for fulfilling their mandate to freely provide information.

While the landscape for the media in Afghanistan is extremely challenging, there are still opportunities to maintain critical public information flows to citizens across the country. We continue to provide immediate, mid- and long-term support to partners directly providing critical information. For instance, we recently supported the dissemination of informative reports about COVID-19 nationwide through radio broadcasts and online platforms. We have also supported international advocacy efforts to protect journalists and media freedom, especially in urgent situations like in Afghanistan.

Our Afghan journalist and media partners’ safety and long-term sustainability continue to be at the heart of our efforts – and we couldn’t have done it without your commitment and support.

Thank you for your generous contribution to support Afghan journalists in this humanitarian crisis.

For decades, Internews worked alongside Afghan media entrepreneurs as they fostered a vibrant media sector that, at its height, employed thousands of women, reached every province large and small, and became one of the most trusted institutions in the country. Together with partners and friends like you, we have taken the steps to:

• Support the asylum process for those at risk, through direct support and advocacy.
• Support quality content production for media outlets under threat.
• Counter mis/disinformation amongst communities whose channels to reliable, accurate information are compromised.
• Provide digital security for vulnerable journalists in and outside of the country.
• Track violations on journalists and other efforts to undermine the free press.
• Improve media partners' organizational and technical capacity and long-term sustainability.

For twenty years, the Afghan media community has inspired us with their resilience and resolve to provide life-saving information to those in most need—no matter the challenge or cost. Our heartfelt thanks for your collective support and solidarity, as we continue to champion the sector now and into the future.

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