There is little expectation, however, that these stations will receive licenses before the upcoming presidential elections. It was only in January 1999, however, that full access to the Internet first became available in the country. In a recent addendum to the Law on Television and Radio Broadcasting of 1996, Internet radio broadcasting now requires a permit from the State Committee on Radio and Television. The almost continual deterioration of Tajikistan's economy since independence in 1991 has not spared its media. The fact that not one daily publication currently exists is almost certainly due to the high price and short supply of newsprint, next to non-existent subscriber pools, and the additional weighty economic and political constraints described elsewhere in this report.
Many publications surface only to close down weeks or months later, unable to stay afloat.
Very low salaries have forced many experienced professionals to quit the field in order to gain a more lucrative salary elsewhere, while worries about job security also add to the prevailing atmosphere of self-censorship. Many local observers believe that low professional standards, such as weak analysis, poor investigative techniques, and a failure to tap available sources, lower the quality of media output. Some claim that the Soviet tradition of control and censorship left a legacy of caution and a lack of curiosity. Others argue that the exodus of many experienced and talented journalists from their profession, whether for economic or political reasons, has degraded professional standards. In the opinion of many journalists, the general level of journalism teaching andtraining has also declined, as has the decline in professionalism in many other fields, and publication and advertising techniques remain underdeveloped.