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Freedom of Afghan Media: Challenges facing Afghan journalists in Afghanistan and abroad

Mujtaba Haris

Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) (2024), 38 pp.

"Erosion of Media Freedom in Afghanistan: Since the Taliban regained power in August 2021, media freedom in Afghanistan has drastically declined. Over half of the country's media outlets have closed, leading to widespread unemployment among journalists. The Taliban's media policies enforce strict ce ... nsorship, resulting in self-censorship and threats to journalists still working. As one journalist in Kabul said, "The media in Afghanistan is dead; we were forced out of our jobs, and those who remain face daily threats." Severe Content Censorship: The Taliban has imposed strict regulations on media content, banning any reports that contradict their interpretation of Islamic values or Afghan national interests. As a result, 95% of journalists surveyed in Afghanistan reported facing restrictions when attempting to document and broadcast their work. "We are no longer allowed to report on incidents involving the Taliban, especially when it comes to conflicts within their ranks," shared a journalist from Badakhshan. Gender-Based Discrimination and Exclusion: Female journalists have been systematically targeted, leading many to leave the profession. Women working in the media are subjected to strict limitations, such as being required to cover their faces while on air and being denied opportunities to work. This has effectively silenced female voices in Afghan media. Arbitrary Detention and Physical Abuse: The Taliban have used arbitrary detention and physical abuse as tools to suppress independent journalism. Journalists are often detained without charge, held in poor conditions, and subjected to physical abuse. "Many of us live in fear of being arrested without cause," said one journalist who had been detained. The report found that 73% of detained journalists reported experiencing physical abuse during their detention. Self-Censorship as a Survival Tactic: The pervasive atmosphere of fear and intimidation has led to widespread self-censorship among journalists, both within Afghanistan and in exile. This has resulted in a homogenized media landscape, with many journalists avoiding sensitive topics to protect themselves from potential repercussions. A journalist in Afghanistan said, "Many of us live in fear of being arrested without cause." (Key findings, page 6) more

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Media Freedom in Afghanistan

United Nations Human Rights (2024), 26 pp.

"This report examines the state of media freedom in Afghanistan for the period from 15 August 2021 to 30 September 2024. Under the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the media sector grew exponentially in the country, leading to the broadening of media platforms and greater access to ... more diverse domestic sources of news and information. However, after 15 August 2021, a large number of media outlets ceased their operations. This has been attributed to different factors, including loss of revenue stemming from the overall economic difficulties of the country, the withdrawal of donor support after the Taliban takeover, an exodus of journalists, as well as various restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities. The de facto authorities continue to create an extremely challenging operating environment for media, including but not limited to censorship and difficulties in accessing information. Additionally, journalists and media workers are subjected to intimidation, arbitrary arrest and detention, ill-treatment, court proceedings and imprisonment for performing their functions. The de facto authorities’ measures interfering with editorial content and internal operation of media outlets have substantially diminished media freedom. Between 15 August 2021 to 30 September 2024, UNAMA HRS documented instances of human rights violations affecting 336 journalists and media workers – 256 instances of arbitrary arrest and detention (249 men, 7 women), 130 torture and ill-treatment (122 men, 8 women) and 75 threats or intimidation (66 men, 9 women). The lack of transparent procedures in determining violations and the use of intimidation, arbitrary arrests and detentions on those who criticize the de facto authorities create a culture of self-censorship and negatively impact freedom of expression. On 19 September 2021, the de facto authorities’ “Government Media and Information Centre” issued an 11-Point Guidance to media, forbidding the publication of content deemed contrary to Islam and Afghan culture, or more broadly deemed to be against national interests. Media are often required to co-ordinate and seek approval from the de facto authorities prior to publishing a report, while news agendas are subjected to pre-vetting, which is tantamount to censorship. What constitutes content in violation of the guidance on editorial content is subject to broad and uncertain interpretation. Nonetheless, the fact that violations, or perceived violations, can lead to severe punishment creates a pervasive culture of self-censorship among journalists. As these instructions aim at limiting the range of permissible topics for public discourse and in penalizing media outlets being critical of the de facto authorities, they are incompatible with the conditions needed to limit freedom of expression under the ICCPR." (Executive summary, page 3) more

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Restricciones a la libertad de prensa y asfixia mediática en el contexto electoral en Venezuela

Freedom House;Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP);Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ);Fundamedios;IFEX-ALC;Reporters Without Borders;Free Press Unlimited;Voces del Sur (2024), 26 pp.

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[Anatomía del acoso digital contra periodistas en Colombia]

Páginas para la Libertad de Expresión (FLIP, Colombia), issue 9 (2024), 24 pp.

"Durante año y medio, la FLIP y Linterna Verde monitoreamos la conversación que giró alrededor del periodismo y le pusimos la lupa a tres momentos virales para entender qué hay detrás de cada ataque digital: El conocido hashtag #CaracolMiente, que surgió después de que el presidente Gustavo P ... more

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Digital authoritarianism: A systematic literature review

Tony Roberts, Marjoke Oosterom

Information Technology for Developpment (2024), 25 pp.

"Authoritarianism is in the ascendancy across the globe, with digital technologies being used by both governments and non-state actors to repress rights and freedoms. Competing terms have emerged to conceptualize such use of digital technologies, including the term digital authoritarianism and a ran ... more

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Press freedom and safety of journalists in Ghana 2024: An assessment based on the African Media Barometer

Gabriel Baglo

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2024), 26 pp.

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Russian Bans on ‘Fake News’ about the war in Ukraine: Conditional truth and unconditional loyalty

Elena Sherstoboeva

International Communication Gazette, volume 86, issue 1 (2024), pp. 36-54

"This article examines Russia’s practice of the ban introduced by the so-called ‘fake news laws’ during the war against Ukraine. It blends doctrinal legal with discourse analysis to study how and why Russian courts have applied the laws, which epistemology of knowledge they have constructed wh ... more

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Attacks Against Journalists in Brazil: Catalyzing Effects and Resilience During Jair Bolsonaro’s Government

Joao V. S. Ozawa, Taeyoung Lee Josephine Lukito, Varma, Anita, Rosental Alves

International Journal of Press/Politics, volume 29, issue 4 (2024), pp. 847-868

"Attacks on journalists have become a growing concern in democracies around the world. Past scholarship suggests that such attacks could lead to a chilling effect of journalists self-censoring their reporting. However, there is limited empirical work that substantiates the effects of attacks on jour ... more

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Internet Shutdowns, Sovereignty, and the Postcolonial State in Africa

Nicole Stremlau

Global Policy (2024), 8 pp.

"Despite strong international condemnation, there is growing acceptance of internet shutdowns as a legitimate response to online content that governments—particularly in Africa—find concerning. This article explores government decision- making around internet shutdowns during contentious periods ... more

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Protection mechanisms in Latin America: How to stregnthen the fragile shield protecting journalists

Paris: Reporters Without Borders (2024), 13 pp.

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Contestations of Internet Governance and Digital Authoritarianism in Pakistan

Zahid Shahab Ahmed, Ihsan Yilmaz, Akbarzadeh, Sharam, Galib Bashirov

International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society (2024), 23 pp.

"The existing literature on Internet governance offers important insights on the relationship between state and society in China and the West. It is important to explore this relationship in the developing world. This study focuses on Pakistan, exploring the role of relevant legal frameworks, politi ... more

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Visible and Invisible Bars: Political Imprisonment, Civil Death, and the Consequences of Democratic Erosion

Amy Slipowitz, Mina Loldj

Washington, DC: Freedom House (2024), 32 pp.

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Ethiopians support free media holding government accountable

Mulu Teka, Daniel Iberi

Afrobarometer (2024), 11 pp.

"A large majority (71%) of Ethiopians "agree" or "strongly agree" that the media should "constantly investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption." About six in 10 citizens (59%) endorse the principle that the media "should have the right to publish any views and ideas without governm ... more

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Venezuela: A Playbook for Digital Repression

Iria Puyosa, Andrés Azpúrua, Daniel Suárez Pérez

Washington, DC: Atlantic Council (2024), 60 pp.

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“I Can’t Do My Job as a Journalist”: The Systematic Undermining of Media Freedom in Hungary

Benjamin Ward (ed.)

Human Rights Watch (2024), 29 pp.

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Safety and security of journalists in Ghana: Policies and journalists’ perception of stakeholders, issues and practices

Michael Yao Wodui Serwornoo

Journal of African Media Studies, volume 16, issue 3 (2024), pp. 285-301

"This study examines the safety and security of journalists in Ghana, assessing their satisfaction with key media stakeholders and the state of press freedom through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) journalists’ safety indicators. Using a predominan ... more

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Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Morocco: A Field Study

Internews;Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis (2024), 119 pp.

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"Watch out Because We're Coming for You": Transnational Repression of Iranian Journalists in the UK

Fiona O'Brien

Paris: Reporters Without Borders (2024), 27 pp.

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Monitoring journalism safety

Manizja Aziz, Leon Willems

In: The Routledge Handbook of Conflict and Peace Communication

Stacey L. Connaughton; Stefanie Pukallus (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), 10 pp.

"This chapter discusses the monitoring of violations of the right to life and safety of journalists. The safety of journalists is a prerequisite for the provision of access to reliable information to the public, but journalists worldwide face risks as a result of their work. Monitoring violations he ... more

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“We Will Find You”: A Global Look at How Governments Repress Nationals Abroad

Human Rights Watch (2024), 46 pp.