KABUL (SW) – Several journalists and media officials have raised concerns about the lack of cooperation from the Islamic Emirate government departments and ministries in providing necessary information.
They argue that this issue is making their work increasingly difficult and have called on the de-facto Ministry of Information and Culture to address the problem.
Ali Akbar and Sayed Bilal, reporters from two Kabul-based media outlets, shared with Salam Watandar that despite repeated phone calls and messages to government spokespeople, some are unresponsive.
Ali Akbar remarked, “Unfortunately, access to information has recently been restricted by spokespeople. We contact them daily, and by the end of the day, we often find that no information has been shared with us. We are urging the Ministry of Information and Culture to resolve this issue.”
Sayed Bilal added, “Access to information has always been a challenge. When journalists in the capital face these difficulties, it is certain that those in provinces encounter even greater challenges. Sometimes, public spokespeople provide only video clips.”
Both journalists noted that the lack of information from the de-facto government sources forces them to either publish one-sided reports or cancel them altogether.
Elham Haqiqat, the director of Radio Haqiqat in Nangarhar, emphasized the need for timely information sharing from government spokespeople to improve media operations.
“Sometimes, some officials do not share information with the media. Our request to officials is to provide information promptly,” he said.
In response, Khobaib Ghofran, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture, assured that the ministry is committed to resolving issues related to timely access to information for journalists and media outlets.
He stated, “The Ministry of Information and Culture’s Directorate of Access to Information has initiated a series of programs to coordinate between the media and government departments, including those in the zones. This ministry is committed to ensuring that media outlets have timely access to information.”
Previously, journalists had also complained about delays in accessing information both in Kabul and the provinces.
