An Afghan journalist on censorship, misinformation and poverty under the Taliban

For 15 years, Mehrdad – not his real name – worked as a journalist and investigative reporter for various outlets in Afghanistan, even winning a prestigious award for his work and commitment to journalism. But in August 2021, his life took a drastic turn after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Mehrdad now faces an uncertain future in a country where speaking the truth has become a dangerous act.

He explains to Afghan Witness (AW) that Afghanistan’s once-thriving media landscape, which tackled issues such as corruption, security, and current affairs, has been replaced by a climate of fear and censorship. Journalists are now grappling with a moral dilemma, he says: work for media outlets that the Taliban supports, or risk their lives working for independent or international media.

Mehrdad says that due to the risks involved with his job at an international media organisation, he made the difficult decision to resign after just two months.

Since the Taliban’s return, human rights and press freedom groups have persistently flagged mounting reports of violence against journalists in the country, as well as alleged detentions of journalists and media workers.

“Many journalists in Afghanistan [face] direct threats from the Taliban, including beatings, arrests and warnings for working with certain media organisations.”

One misstep can trigger a warning from the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) explains Mehrdad.

Misinformation and self-censorship

Aside from the physical threat to journalists in Afghanistan, Mehrdad is also afraid of the Taliban’s tightening grip on information and press freedom.

He says that journalists are barred from accessing the scenes of Taliban raids on alleged terror cells, or face arrest when reporting on women’s rights protests. He adds that journalists are prevented from accessing crucial government information, such as details of the Taliban’s contracts in the mining industry.

Several reports published in the Afghan media raise similar issues, with journalists claiming they face restrictions covering security incidents, and in some cases, are prevented from filming. Soon after their return to power, the Taliban were accused of torturing two Etilaatroz journalists for covering women’s protests in Kabul, and, in provinces such as Takhar, journalists have also stressed their lack of access to government information that would have previously been made available to them under laws established by the former government.

“Currently, journalists are no longer able to convey the truth by reporting on current affairs – people’s phones were broken by the Taliban for simply taking a picture,” Mehrdad adds.

On the other hand, the information that journalists are given access to by the Taliban is not always reliable according to Mehrdad, who says the group “distorts the truth to suit their narrative.”

In some provinces, local media outlets have reportedly been told to only publish Taliban-approved content. The Taliban’s control over the headlines has left journalists like Mehrdad unable to report the facts, while those working for pro-Taliban media channels and organisations can operate freely within the Taliban parameters, he explains.

Access to information is particularly limited for international media, Mehrdad adds. This has been demonstrated by a string of restrictions the Taliban have reportedly issued on foreign media: in March 2022, BBC television news was banned from broadcasting bulletins in Pashto, Persian and Uzbek in Afghanistan, with programmes from other international broadcasters also removed. More recently, several international reporters claimed they were banned from entering the country by Taliban officials.

The shrinking information space has led to widespread mis and disinformation, especially in online spaces. AW has identified multiple cases of videos being shared out-of-context, often unintentionally, but has also found more targeted attempts to mislead, such as several false news accounts which serve to spread disinformation and undermine the opposition.

With journalists often restricted from the scene of security incidents, verifying details communicated by the Taliban has also proven difficult. Mehrdad recounts an incident in the Kart-e-Naw area of Kabul where the Taliban allegedly killed children but labelled them as members of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). Similar incidents have been reported, he adds, with the Taliban justifying their actions by labelling their victims as enemies: members of ISKP, resistance forces, or even foreign spies.

Mehrdad stresses that self-censorship is also a major factor in limiting information from surfacing, particularly among journalists, who are afraid of reporting anything other than official Taliban statements. Last year, Human Rights Watch said that in many provinces outside of the capital, harassment and attacks on journalists had largely gone unreported, causing media outlets in outlying provinces to self-censor, or eventually close down altogether.

“In every media organisation and channel, the Taliban have one informant to identify journalists who pose a concern for the Taliban,” Mehrdad adds.

The increasing threat of poverty

In the face of adversity, Merhdad and a group of Afghan journalists have secretly banded together to provide fact-checked reports to international media organisations. Mehrdad knows this is dangerous work in the current situation, but it is their only means of supporting their families and making ends meet.

When the Taliban returned to power, many independent media outlets reported that they were no longer able to pay workers’ salaries, with some closing down altogether. Research also shows that the closure of media outlets has had a disproportionate impact on female journalists, who face the added barrier of the Taliban’s restrictions on their work, dress and freedom of movement.

The security situation also remains volatile: a recent ISKP-claimed attack in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province, targeted a large group of reporters who had gathered to celebrate National Journalists’ Day.

Many Afghan journalists have left the country, with some continuing to report remotely on the situation back home. Some journalists who were given the option to leave have revealed they stayed out of dedication to journalism and their audiences. But risks are high – those who remain in the country and work for international media keep a low profile and often report under pseudonyms, Mehrdad explains.

Eighteen months after the takeover, organisations and NGOs are still working to evacuate those at risk. One such organisation is Journalists for Human Rights (JHR).

“Journalists face the same barriers that exist for all Afghans — they too need food security, access to education and opportunities for employment,” says Jordan MacInnis, Director of JHR’s Domestic Programs.

Since August 2021, the Canadian media development organisation has relocated, referred and resettled more than 500 Afghan journalists, human rights defenders and their family members, but the organisation told AW it received more than double that number of requests for help.

MacInnis adds that journalists in the country face barriers not only to their work, but to leaving the country to seek safety.