Watchdog accuses govt. of censoring information

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AT-KABUL: The media supporting organization (NAI) accused the government of escaping from sharing information with the media outlets, saying it (the government) censors information.

Mojib Khalvatgar, head of the organization, said Wednesday that sources in the government censor some information and prevent some reports that they do not like to be released.

“Unfortunately, self-censorship is increasing and access to information is decreasing. Government sources do not give information to some media outlets and sometimes, government sources friendly ask the journalists to not publish some stories. This means that an intelligence situation is imposed on the media organizations,” he said.

Journalists working for newspapers have said that they could not receive reliable information from government over the Ghazni war, saying that government sources give contradictory information to them.

Some reporters say that Taliban were more active than government officials on the social media, with releasing more videos and other information regarding the fighting in Ghazni.

Defense minister, Tareq Shah Bahrami, said in a presser that he did not know the exact number of the security forces’ casualties, but knew exactly about the Taliban fighters’ death toll.

The president’s office said that censor had no place in the Afghan law and the government was committed in implementing the law. Shah Hossein Mortazavi, presidential spokesman, said that the government had given the most information about Ghazni fighting to the media outlets.

Nawid Barakzai, a journalist working in Kabul, said that getting access to information was the right of the media and people, and restrictions in this regard put the people in an information vacuum. So, they rely on the rumors.