In recent history Afghanistan's media has two distinct periods. There is the period when Afghanistan was under control of the Taliban and now where the landscape of Afghanistan's media is changing post Taliban control.
During Taliban control of Afghanistan, media was under strict control of the Taliban. The Taliban who originally were ultra orthodox religious seminary students of Islam wanted to restore stability and enforce their strict interpretation of Islamic law because of the unending civil war between rival tribes in the capital and other parts of the country. In an essay by Lutfullah Mashalan student in the institute for afghan studies at the University of Kent, UK he explains what the Taliban did to dismantle the media in Afghanistan:
"In 1997, the Taliban renamed the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan; and also renamed the state run radio as the Shariat Ghag Radio (Radio Voice of Sharia) Taliban introduced strict policies like prohibiting women from working outside their home in activities other than health care, and requiring corporal punishment for those convicted of certain crimes. Cinema Halls and a few existing theater halls were closed. They not only destroyed much of the equipment and infrastructure built up during the Soviet era (particularly radio and television production and broadcasting facilities) but Afghans also became largely dependent on foreign media for news and information during this period. Use of internet was banned and all net cafes in Kabul and some other provinces were closed down."
After the U.S. led coalition in 2001 that led to the Taliban fleeing from their positionof control in Afghanistan the media landscape there has dramatically changed for the better. According to Reporter's Without Borders:
"The change is radical. After five years of Taliban domination, which had turned Afghanistan into "a country without news or pictures" (according to a Reporters Without Borders report in September 2000), the Afghan press today enjoys "unprecedented freedom," says editor Fahim Dashty of Kabul Weekly, the first privately-owned newspaper to reappear after the Taliban departure."
Does the Afghan press really enjoy "unprecedented freedom" or are there still areas where there is suppression, intimidation and censorship. Cities such as Kabul have definitely utilized their new found freedom but in provinces in the country side press freedom is still coming up against obstacles in the form of the governors and warlord who still control the media with a short leash.
Another obstacle facing Afghan media is their ability to finance their own media. If they cannot take financial control of their media will this boom in media continue to exist. BBC News writes:
"Afghanistan does not have a developed market where private media can draw on subscription or advertising to finance themselves."
The media in post Taliban Afghanistan is on the right track but will it be able to keep the train running?