Most reporters resent govt spokesmen’s responsiveness: Nai

KABUL (Pajhwok): A new survey shows more than half of journalists are unsatisfied with government’s spokespersons, particularly of the ministries of interior and defense.

The result of the survey conducted by Nai, a free media supporting group in Afghanistan, was issued today about the status of media in 2019.

The survey interviewed 250 journalists in capital Kabul and 24 provinces of the country.

The survey shows nearly 51 percent of journalists were not satisfied from the responsiveness of government spokespersons while 48 percent said they were convinced and 1.6 percent did not respond.

 The report shows journalists faced more trouble while obtaining information from security organs.

More than 39 percent of the interviewees said that the ministries of interior and defense and National Directorate of Security (NDS) did not respond to their contacts and spokespersons of the organs were not easily accessible.

Eighteen percent of the interviewees said that information in charge of Ministry of Interior was not accessible and its spokesperson did not respond to journalist contacts and 16.8 percent others said that media in charge of ministries of defense and interior were not accessible.

The report says 8.8 percent of journalists accused provincial officials of not responding to media.

The survey reveals that 13 percent of journalists complain from the courts, six from customs, 4.4 from NDS, 4.4 from Ministry of Public Health departments, 2.8 from Presidential Palace, 1.2 from Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and two from human rights departments.

The report says that 1.6 percent of journalists complain from Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology (MCIT), 1.2 from Ministry of Women Affairs, 1.2 from traffic department, 0.8 from district chiefs, 0.8 from Ministry of Information and Culture, 0.4 from consulates and 0.4 from Ministry of Finance.

Nai says access to information and freedom of speech has been at great trouble in the national unity government.

Abdul Mujib Khilwatgar, head of Nai, said that the government did not share security related information due to its failures. “We hope the government would not fear people and share what are facts,” he said.

Based on Nai information, complaints about access to information were very high in six provinces of the country in 2019, he said.

Khilwatgar said journalists from Herat, Nimroz, Balkh, Takhar, Ghazni and Uruzgan provinces officially complained to Nai about non-responding of local officials to media.

Ghazni Journalists Association recently in a resolution letter boycotted covering government related news, he said, adding that reporters in Ghazni claimed they were obliged to boycott government news as local officials were not responding to them.

Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, who was present in the meeting, said that the ministry would not keep information secret unless they were confidential.

He said that 420 local and international journalists were in contact with the ministry but it was hard for them to respond to all of them at a time of an incident.

Mds/ma

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