UNDP is working with the Ministry of Information and Culture to strengthen news reporting and public information

Kabul August 2011– In Afghanistan, news media is still a fledgling institution largely supported by donor funds. The media infrastructure was dismantled by the years of fighting and subsequent rule under the Taliban, who banned television and allowed just a single radio station to broadcast government messages. Yet media plays a key role as a watchdog, reporting on violations in the interest of the public good. Despite the public's avid interest in news – over 90% of Afghans think it is important to stay informed about current events in Afghanistan – the news media in Afghanistan remains very weak, and the majority of people still get their information from family, friends, or community/religious leaders . Journalists do not have the right skills to report on the news, while news organizations lack the organizational and institutional capacity to fill their role as guardians of the public interest.

UNDP is working to develop the government's capacity to provide and regulate the news media. UNDP and Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) identified two key state news outlets for capacity development: the Kabul Times, the oldest English-language newspaper in the country, and Bakhtar News Agency, which provides content for the majority of radio, television, and print media in the country. Through the National Institution Building Project (NIBP), UNDP conducted a capacity assessment of the Kabul Times and found serious issues not only with the archaic technology and printing infrastructure, but also in the quality of reporting by the journalists.

For example, rather than address serious news issues, the newspaper merely reported the various activities of the Government: "President Karzai meets Elders from Gujar Tribes," "Vice President Marshal Fahim meeting US Ambassador," "Speech of His Excellency President Karzai at Turkey Convention," etc. UNDP discovered that journalists believed that press releases from the government organizations had to be printed verbatim. There was a feeling of fear – mostly perceived – about the consequences of misrepresenting an event organized by a government agency.

The UNDP team started its work by addressing this fear, and explaining the role of journalists and the impact of news on society. The news writing team was advised that writing meaningful news would not get them reprimands from seniors but on the contrary win them appreciation. Once the initial 'freedom from fear' counseling started bearing fruit, UNDP started coaching sessions to teach skills related to preparing and presenting news. In addition to developing individual capacities, the project is also supporting MoIC to strengthen the enabling environment for the information sector by developing critical policies such as the broadcasting policy and a model code of conduct for journalists in Afghanistan.

Improvements in reporting at the Kabul Times and Bakhtar News Agency were already visible after two months. For example, headlines now read: "Peace, Afghan Government Priority," "Greco-Afghan Ties Lauded," and "'We endeavor to establish coordination among SAARC nations'."

Says Farzana, a woman reporter with Bakhtar News agency (BNA), "The initial coaching sessions helped us in breaking free from fear, introduced us to international standards of news writing and opened our minds to moving towards meaningful reporting."

"It is a big change for us," agrees Shafiq Ahmadzai, the Editor in Chief of the Kabul Times.

Thirty-five journalists have completed or are undergoing the training, half of them women. Apart from providing immediate benefits to these individual journalists, this initiative will, in the long run, also impact the lives of ordinary Afghans by making meaningful, multi-faceted information available to the citizens of Afghanistan.

The National Institution Building Project works to build robust government institutions and support sustainable capacity development in the Afghan Civil Service. The project strengthens national institutional capacity and works to create an efficient and capable public sector workforce through the development of institutions and civil service at the national and sub-national levels, the establishment of accountability mechanisms and effective utilization of resources for better service delivery. NIBP is supported by the governments of Australia, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland.

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