43% media outlets disappeared, 84% women journalists out of jobs since Taliban takeover: RSF report

Sixty percent of media employees have not been able to work and 84 percent of women journalists have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August, according to a report released by Reporters Without Borders and Afghan Independent Journalists Association. The report also stated that 43 percent of Afghan media outlets have disappeared.

Compared to 543 media outlets in Afghanistan at the start of the summer, only 312 are in operation as of November. Apart from this, the report also claimed that some provinces in Afghanistan have no local media anymore. The central Kabul area has only 72 media outlets of the 148 tallied before August 15.

The closure of media outlets has had a major impact on employment in the media sector. “Of the 10,790 people working in the Afghan media (8,290 men and 2,490 women) at the start of August, only 4,360 (3,950 men and 410 women) – or four out of every 10 media workers – were still working when this survey was carried out,” the report stated.

Out of 34 provinces, 15 do not have any women journalists. Citing the example of Jowzjan, the report claims that as opposed to 112 women who were employed in the 19 media outlets in the province before the Taliban takeover, none of the 12 media outlets left are employing women.

The report also mentioned the imposition of the “11 Journalism Rules” issued by the Taliban which has given rise to censorship and affected press freedom in the country. Speaking about the issue, Reza Moini, the head of RSF’s Iran-Afghanistan desk, said, “There is an urgent need to rein in the spiral leading inevitably to the disappearance of Afghan media and to ensure that respect for press freedom is a priority.”

“Journalists’ safety, the fate of women journalists, media legislation and the right of access to news and information are all crucial issues that the authorities must address without delay,” Moini said.