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UNITED STates institute of peace

© USIP 2010 • All rights reserved.

“Across the last eight 

years, we’ve seen first-hand 

the dramatic expansion of 

media outlets in Afghanistan, 

the hopes it raised for a 

new era of transparency 

and good governance, and 

the disappointment that 

followed when these hopes 

were not fulfilled.”

March 30, 2010 

Media and Peacebuilding in 

Afghanistan

Summary

•	 Since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the Afghan media sector has experienced dramatic 

growth in all areas: television, radio, print, internet, mobile phones. As such, the sector holds 

tremendous potential for making significant contributions to peacebuilding in the country. 

•	 However, the media sector also confronts numerous challenges that impede its ability to realize this potential – which can only be addressed through the combined efforts and attention 

of international and domestic stakeholders alike. 

•	 Among the most pressing challenges is resolving the tension between information operations and counterinsurgency, on the one hand, and developing a viable, credible media sector 

on the other. All too often efforts to counter extremist messages through expanded military 

and government access to the airwaves (via purchased air time and proliferating “radio in a 

box” broadcasts from military outposts) have had a negative impact on both media market 

economics and media credibility.

•	 Sustainability is also a significant issue. A glut of media outlets has arisen that are privately 

licensed yet sustained by international donor funds and strategic communications money. 

This has had a deleterious effect on the perception of media, and its effectiveness as a guardian of public interests. The shortcomings of state-owned RTA as a public broadcaster further 

contribute to this, leading many experts to call for greater investment in long-term training 

and mentoring as well as regulatory reform to limit government manipulation of the airwaves.

•	 Other significant areas for improvement: greater emphasis on quality and diversity of 

programming (including a need for more Pashto language programs), enhanced efforts to 

provide security for media practitioners, more professional communications training for Afghan government officials, and more extensive research and understanding of Afghan media 

consumers themselves. 

Introduction

Development of the media sector in Afghanistan is widely recognized as a post-Taliban success 

story. Whereas once television was banned and only the Taliban government’s Radio Sharia 

broadcasted legally in country, today the media landscape consists of dozens of television stations, 

about 100 radio stations, and many hundreds of print outlets. An estimated six million mobile 

phone users were counted in 2008, with an increase of 300,000 users per month.1 Internet access, 

including wireless broadband through Wi-Max, is growing as costs fall. In short, much has changed 

since 2001 when it comes to the number of information sources available to the Afghan people.

Sheldon Himelfarb

E-mail: shimelfarb@usip.org

Phone: 202.429.4773

peaceBrieF15
© USIP 2010 • All rights reserved.

At the same time, it is also widely acknowledged that Afghan media have significant deficits in 

many areas. The quality of programming, sustainability of the media outlets, security for media 

practitioners, and trustworthiness of the information itself are just a few areas frequently cited as 

needing improvement. In this sense the media in Afghanistan remain a vein of still greater potential for contributing to peacebuilding in the country, and a sector of both great opportunity and 

great challenge. 

In order to help realize this potential, the United States Institute of Peace brought together a 

wide array of media and Afghanistan experts on February 23, 2010. This group of 50-plus policymakers, producers, government officials, military officers, and scholars drew from a considerable 

body of cumulative experience. 

As USIP’s Ambassador William Taylor noted in his welcome remarks to the group at the start of 

the day: 

“What makes today’s gathering unique is the amount of experience and expertise in the room 

on media in conflict: Many of those attending have worked on peacebuilding media from its 

earliest days, when the international community was trying to figure out how to respond to the 

use of hate radio in the Rwandan genocide and hate media in Bosnia. Others worked in Kosovo, 

in Liberia, in Macedonia, in Iraq. The fact that you are all here today bodes well for the potential of 

today’s meeting to produce valuable recommendations regarding media in Afghanistan—which 

we all know plays a critical role in the future of the Afghan people.”

What follows is a distillation of this meeting in terms of key opportunities and challenges 

discussed by the experts for using media more extensively and effectively to contribute to peacebuilding in Afghanistan. The meeting was held under the “Chatham House Rules” of nonattribution 

to ensure maximum candor throughout the deliberations.

Major Themes Discussed

•	 Countering extremist messages. There was extensive and candid discussion about this along 

several vectors: 1) the demands of the daily event-driven news and the demonstrated ability of extremists to respond quickly with information and misinformation, unhindered by 

standards for responsible reporting that are being encouraged among the rest of Afghan 

media. 2) efforts to counter these extremist messages through expanded military and 

government access to the airwaves (via purchased air time and proliferating “radio in a box” 

broadcasts from military outposts) and the consequential impact on both media market 

economics and media credibility. 

There was general acknowledgement that extremist propaganda cannot be effectively dealt 

with through counter-propaganda. Instead, the provision of a robust and credible media environment that encourages an exchange of ideas around needs and solutions is vital in mitigating 

extremist messages. To this end, the experts group indicated that further work was needed on 

innovations in both new programming content and airtime buying practices (consolidated 

buying was mentioned, for example). In doing so, a balance must be struck that will meet carefully defined, essential operational needs without compromising the credibility or authenticity of 

information designed to meet the needs of the Afghan people. 

•	 Programming content. Several speakers pointed out the need for greater programming 

in the Pashto language and others highlighted initiatives underway through both local 

Internews stations as well as foreign broadcasters like Voice of America. Additionally, there 

was considerable enthusiasm for expanded use of call-in programming that takes advantage of the expanded availability of mobile phones and gives voice to local communities 

Media and Peacebuilding in Afghanistan 

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© USIP 2010 • All rights reserved.

and concerns. However there was also general acknowledgement of the disappointing 

track record of these programs with respect to producing improved accountability and governance for a variety of important factors that need to be addressed going forward. These 

factors included: legal mechanisms that expose stations to government sanctions if callers 

make unsubstantiated claims that reflect negatively on an official’s honor; poor training for 

on-air hosts and facilitators; and inadequate follow-up mechanisms off-air. 

Regarding this last factor—follow-up mechanisms—there was general consensus on the 

importance of combining programming with community-based outreach in order to effectively 

support the messages and affect audience behavior. One speaker observed that the “media are 

very effective at informing people and even changing their attitudes, but actually getting them 

to modify their actions and behaviors, requires reinforcement at the family, tribal and community levels.” 

•	 Coordination of effort. The experts working group discussed the importance of greater 

coordination and information sharing around media plans and projects, noting the range of 

organizations represented as evidence of the many different international media stakeholders. It was noted how the U.S. government (State, USAID and Defense Department) has 

made great strides in its own right with a unified civilian-military communications strategy. 

This has not only fostered greater coherence in message but it has also helped to produce 

an unprecedented willingness to engage Afghan media directly by making spokespersons 

readily available for questions by local and national press. 

Less successful, however, has been coordination across the government, nongovernmental 

organizations, and private media groups. This has in part created the credibility concerns already 

noted and significant sustainability challenges across the media sector. 

In the absence of a viable advertising market, a glut of media outlets has arisen that are privately 

licensed yet sustained almost exclusively by international donor funds and strategic communication money. This has had a deleterious effect on the perception of media, and its effectiveness 

as a guardian of public interests. In this regard, the shortcomings of state-owned RTA as a public 

broadcaster were discussed, and speakers cited the need for more investment in training and 

regulatory reform to hinder government manipulation of the airwaves for political purposes. 

•	 Protection of journalists and other media practitioners. Reform of the media laws in Afghanistan to provide greater protection for journalists, broadcasters and media professionals 

was strongly recommended. The challenges faced by the news media were widely acknowledged and included the threat of physical and mental violence and intimidation at 

the hands of both the Taliban and the Afghan government. Legal mechanisms that might 

provide these individuals with a means to seek recourse remain underdeveloped while, 

conversely, calling into question a government official’s honor is a criminal offense under 

current media law, and dealt with harshly. It was also noted that journalists in Afghanistan 

do not have a professional association with sufficient power to voice grievances on their 

behalf and guarantee collective protection. 

•	 Training and capacity-building. Although a great deal of donor funding has been aimed at 

training of media professionals in Afghanistan, there was a clear consensus that professionalism and sector capabilities were still well short of where they could be given levels of 

investment. A number of factors were cited for this, including huge differentials between 

what Afghan media pay staff versus what international organizations and media are paying, 

causing a brain drain within the Afghan media. Compensation offered by Afghan media is 

not commensurate with the dangers they face and the most competent journalists/producers are swift to leave Afghan media for more lucrative positions with international agencies 

Media and Peacebuilding in Afghanistan 

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© USIP 2010 • All rights reserved.

and media outlets that offer somewhat better protection. Those who remain often struggle 

to earn sufficient income to support their families, making them prone to renting out their 

pen to the highest bidders. Additionally, there has been a proliferation of short-term training 

courses, with inadequate follow-up and mentoring on the job. Finally, the group discussed 

the importance of integrating media training earlier in the education stream, preferably into 

secondary school curricula as well as expanded training opportunities at university.

•	 New technologies. The integration of new technology and applications into media efforts 

has created numerous possibilities and new initiatives that experts highlighted. Google 

Maps and geospatial information systems are being used to better plan broadcast station 

locations and local information needs. Radio Over Internet Protocol (ROIP) allows users to 

create bidirectional intranets, cutting down on mobile phone costs and providing new, 

more stable means of communication. However, the technology that garnered the most 

attention from the experts group was mobile phones, increasingly ubiquitous and with 

greater smart phone functionality all the time. Attendees highlighted their immense 

potential, allowing SMS text-enabled users real-time engagement with media programs 

and larger open-source projects. At the same time, it was acknowledged that the weak 

infrastructure, such as inconsistent power generation, continues to be a significant limiting 

factor in leveraging both existing and new technologies. 

It was also observed that when presented with the opportunity, Afghan youth have proven 

quite adept at integrating technology into their daily lives, and some recommended incorporating 

more technology training into the educational system, in conjunction with public approval from 

respected elders. However, Afghan government officials have shown reluctance to work with 

newer technological advancements in their respective ministries and could stymie efforts by other 

media stakeholders to make progress in this regard. 

Additional Challenges and Areas for Improvement 

•	 Media training must extend beyond the press and into the area of professional communication, where the next-generation spokesperson will play a pivotal role in determining how 

effective the Afghan government communicates and interacts with the public.

•	 Provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) and forward operating bases (FOBs) frequently do 

not have a trained communications specialist on site. Less than the ideal situation, this 

complicates efforts to present a clear and consistent message to the public.

•	 Moving forward, international media stakeholders must engage as much as possible with 

both their Afghan counterparts and the larger Afghan public, who are eager for a greater 

say in the type of media and programming directed at them. 

•	 Additional efforts are needed to better understand the nature of Afghan media consumption. Measuring and evaluating these preferences continue to prove difficult in the volatile 

political and security situations of Afghanistan—yet it is vital. The diversity of Afghanistan 

requires media development experts, policymakers, and the military to seek local solutions 

for local problems. 

Next Steps

Throughout this daylong meeting, experts in the field of media and conflict identified key 

challenges and opportunities associated with improving the role of media in building peace in 

Afghanistan. The next step will be to bring these ideas to the attention of the most relevant and 

Media and Peacebuilding in Afghanistan 

page 4 • PB 15 • March 30, 2010
© USIP 2010 • All rights reserved.

United States 

Institute of Peace

1200 17th Street NW

Washington, DC 20036

202.457.1700

www.usip.org

About This Brief

This report is based on a February 

23, 2010 meeting of experts on 

media and conflict convened by 

the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Center 

of Innovation for Media, Conflict 

and Peacebuilding to consider 

opportunities and challenges for 

peacebuilding media in Afghanistan. The session featured presentations by distinguished experts 

representing the full range of 

media activities in country, including strategic communications, 

public diplomacy, radio/television/

Internet/cell phone programming, 

training and regulation. More than 

50 policymakers, producers, government officials, military officers 

and scholars attended the daylong 

meeting. Sheldon Himelfarb, 

executive director of USIP’s Center 

of Innovation for Media, moderated the session and prepared this 

report with the assistance of Colin 

Durkin.

USIP provides the analysis, training and 

tools that prevent and end conflicts, 

promotes stability and professionalizes 

the field of peacebuilding.

For media inquiries, contact the office 

of Public Affairs and Communications, 

202.429.4725

trustworthy peer reviewers possible—the policymakers, media-makers and citizens of Afghanistan 

themselves—and then to work in concert for their implementation.

Across the last eight years, we’ve seen first-hand the dramatic expansion of media outlets in 

Afghanistan, the hopes it raised for a new era of transparency and good governance, and the 

disappointment that followed when these hopes were not fulfilled. 

Changing course will not be easy, but it will become impossible without the continuing 

development and professionalization of the media sector, and better coordination among the 

international community seeking to achieve this. 

Endnote

1. “Communications for Stabilisation in Southern Afghanistan” Media Support Solutions, for DFID, 

2008.

Media and Peacebuilding in Afghanistan 

page 5 • PB 15 • March 30, 2010