Afghanistan’s media crisis

Taliban members (right) attack journalists covering a women’s rights protest in Kabul on October 21, 2021. (AFP/Bulent Kilic)

The Taliban’s August 2021 takeback of power in Afghanistan has devastated the vibrant media landscape that developed after the U.S.-led invasion 20 years earlier. Between censorship, arrests, assaults, restrictions on women journalists, the flight of experienced reporters, and the country’s declining economy, Afghan media are struggling to survive. Yet in spite of these challenges, a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists has found glimmers of hope amid the difficulties. Afghan journalists are finding ways to keep covering the news–either from inside the country or from their places of exile.

The report includes comprehensive policy recommendations for the protection of journalists and press freedom in Afghanistan. “Afghanistan’s remaining journalists are determined to continue reporting but they, and the vast community of media workers now in exile, cannot be left to surmount the obstacles on their own,” said CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg. “The Taliban must face significant international pressure to reverse course and cease their assault on a free press.”

Video: One year later | Journalists in exile | Women journalists under pressure

Letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken: CPJ joins call to expedite visas for Afghan journalists 

Download a PDF of CPJ’s report | Read press release here