“We shouldn’t be gossiping about Afghanistan from afar”: Afghan journalist on how free press affects international aid
Why It Matters
Studies show that the international coverage of a humanitarian crisis directly impacts how much global aid goes into the affected region. Passing the one year mark of when the Taliban took power, supporting local journalists in Afghanistan is vital for inclusive coverage of important issues affecting populations within the country, this expert says.
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When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021, Afghanistan’s journalists and media outlets started to disappear like smoke. Just within three months, over 40 percent of the country’s media outlets vanished. By December 2021, more than 6,000 journalists lost their jobs — nearly half of whom being women journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Lotfullah Najafizada was a director and journalist at TOLOnews, the first and largest 24/7 news channels in Afghanistan, before the Taliban’s rise to power. He oversaw the massive news operation and reported on issues at a national and internationa
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