By Xinhua
Kabul : Glancing through newspaper copies at a newsstand in the capital of post-Taliban Afghanistan, Ahmad Sarosh said he was happy to see dozens of daily papers and magazines being published in his country.
“Almost every morning I come here to buy a newspaper and make myself aware about the developments and situation at home and abroad,” Sarosh, 47, said.
During the Taliban regime, which was toppled by the US-led invasion in late 2001, the few state-run media outlets, including the national radio, had served as the mouthpieces of the regime.
Today both the print and the electronic media are rapidly developing. As many as 300 different newspapers, half-a-dozen private news agencies and more than 40 radio stations are operational in Afghanistan, while many more are in the offing.
Over 80 individuals and companies have registered with the Ministry for Information and Culture to launch their operations here, according to Afghan officials.
Afghans consider freedom of the press as one of the major achievements of their government in the past six years.
“In the past, we had only one television channel controlled by the government,” Sarosh said. “Fortunately, today we have 10 television channels that broadcast fascinating programmes which keeps us busy and happy.”
Though the private media is relatively new in the war-torn country, it has taken an edge over the state-run press entities.
“I earn about $8 (400 Afghanis) daily by selling newspapers and magazines,” said 59-year-old Noorudin, a local newspaper vendor.
The old newspaper vendor and father of seven, who had suffered due to unemployment during the Taliban regime, said developing the media like other national institutions could create more job opportunities.
Over the past five years, media outlets in the country have given employment to more than 5,000 people.
Nevertheless, the residents of rural areas still have little access to the print media, as media organisations seldom send newspapers to the countryside where the majority of the population lives.
To satisfy their thirst for news and get access to the world, some villagers in rural areas have installed their own satellite antennas to watch European and other Asian channels. During the six-year Taliban regime in Afghanistan, television, cinema and theatres had been banned.
“In addition to watching Western movies and Indian soap operas, I also watch Afghan television channels through my satellite antenna with friends, relatives and neighbours in my home,” said Syed Aqa, a villager from Nahrin district in northern Baghlan province.
Using a small China-made generator to light his home and run his mini-screen, Aqa, 32, noted, “It is the 21st century and we have to adopt our way of life in accordance with the requirements of the era.”
Media observers said freedom of the press and a favourable law that allows any Afghan national to set up media entities was aiding the fast development of the media.
According to the editor of a local newspaper, the Afghan government earns $200 (10,000 Afghanis) as revenue from each newspaper, while a television channel with round-the-clock service shells out five percent of its income as tax.
“The annual tax of a television channel depends on its income,” said Ahmad Shah, an official of the Afghan revenue department.
Increasing media outlets and cheaply priced newspapers have boosted readership in the war-torn country, where the adult literacy rate is just 28 percent of the country’s 29 million population.
“This year, I have 35-40 clients daily to buy newspapers and magazines, while last year it was less than 30,” Noorudin added.