Study On The Shifting And The Development Of Afghan Media System In The Past-Taliban Era(2001-2019)

This thesis is a study about the development and growth of media in Afghanistan and its influence on Afghan society and the role of foreign and organizational assistance to emergence an independent media in Afghanistan over the past decade.After the fall of the Taliban regime,the establishment of the developed and free media is counted as a major achievement in Afghanistan reconstruction part.The quantity of media outlets and media freedom in the country has had incredible growth and the Afghan media enjoyed more freedom in comparison with other countries in the region after 2001.These freedoms did not exist in the time of the Taliban rule.Approximately all of the media including television and internet were forbidden at the time of the Taliban regime.Merely one government radio station activated under the severe control of them in Kabul the capital of Afghanistan.This radio did not broadcast educational and informational programs but further serving as a station for airing the religious messages.Over the past eighteen years,the media sector in Afghanistan has advanced at a complex speed.Afghanistan has the lowest literacy rate in the world where the people access to information and news by radio and television otherwise the needed information reachable only in print media.Currently,despite the state newspapers,radio,and television,tens of private and independent TV channels and radios stations and hundreds of private newspapers have their activities freely.The rise of media in such a large number is indicated the unprecedented growth of media after the Taliban era which has not been repeated in the history of Afghanistan.Western donors and international institutions assisted millions dollars to the development of media in Afghanistan over the last two decades.The most private and independent media in Afghanistan has financed by the international community.The U.S government,some international institutions and the number of European countries have played a remarkable role in providing the funding to the Afghan media after the fall of Taliban.In Afghanistan,media has known as the fourth pillar of government,which are administrative force,judicial,legislative and media.This study will help researchers who have past experiences to grow and develop the Afghan media industry in the light of international standards in the future.This research has not been explored much more before,and do not make absolute conclusions the study of the Afghanistan media system;however,it can be pave the way to the comprehensive researches in the future.Furthermore,it will be valuable and useful research for futures scholars investigating the media system in Afghanistan,also for academics who are studying in Journalism Colleges in other countries.This thesis examined the growth of Afghanistan media landscape with a particular concentrating on media policy and laws,the type and extent of media institutions like radio,television and print media,the role of donors and external assistance,and influence of media on Afghan society.In addition,this study has done based on liberal media model with a historical research method.The thesis concludes that,the media had unprecedented growth and development in this period,which has not been repeated in any of the historical periods,the Afghan media benefited from foreign assistance over the past two decades.They have contributed to fostering social participation in Afghanistan and can continue to move forward independently with decrease the external aid to Afghanistan in the future.