KABUL (SW) – A number of journalists in Afghanistan state that limited access to information has led to a decline in the quality of news and reports produced by the media.
Shah Agha Sadat, a journalist at Shamshad TV, says that several ministries under the Islamic Emirate are reluctant to share information with journalists. He adds, “We send messages to the Ministry of Defense, but they don’t respond. Other ministries also don’t reply. Sometimes, they say they don’t have enough time. The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court don’t share images either.”
Ali Akbar Ahmadi, a reporter for the media outlet “Paik-e-Aftab,” explains that many times, due to the failure to share information, reports are not published. “There have been days when news related to these institutions is withheld from publication or the quality of the news suffers. Sometimes, we are forced to use text instead of video or audio clips,” he shared.
Some other journalists in Kabul also call on the Ministry of Information and Culture under the Islamic Emirate to create better conditions for accessing information for reporters.
Islamuddin Behnosh, a journalist at Tamadon TV, said, “Access to information has decreased. Our request to the Islamic Emirate is to pay attention to this issue and ensure that information is made accessible to journalists as soon as possible.”
Khobaib Ghofran, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture, assures that challenges related to information access will be addressed.
He emphasized: “We have a Media Complaints Commission and an Access to Information Commission. Any department that does not cooperate and where access to information is weak, we will address those issues.”
However, the law that mandates spokespersons to respond to journalists is still absent in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, mentions that a revised version of the Right to Information Law has been sent to the leadership of the Islamic Emirate for approval.
“We are waiting for the law to be signed, once signed, it will be implemented,” Mujahid stressed.
“The reason for the delay is that the law is being reviewed by various governmental sectors, which has taken time. We encourage spokespersons to cooperate with the media,” He added.
Two years ago, the Access to Information Commission began operating under the Ministry of Information and Culture, but it has not been able to fully secure journalists’ right to access information.
