ISU ASSIGNMENT - Part 3: Global News Skins

Television

With a Afghan news and political programs, original reality TV shows, Bollywood movies and American programs like "24", ARIA TV is the first exclusive channel for children and teenagers, while Tolo TV is Afghanistan's most watched station. Saad Mohseni, chairman of Tolo's parent company, MOBY Group, said Moby's revenues are in the $20 million range and the media company operates at a profit. Lemar TV, which broadcasts in Pashto language, is sister channel of Tolo. 

Radio

Radio broadcasting went into air in 1925 with Radio Kabul being the first station. Radio is the most widespread source of information in the country. There are many radio stations today, with AM, FM and shortwave, broadcasting mainly in Pashto and Dari as well as Urdu and English languages.

Newspapers

 

 Afghanistan has a low readership of newspapers, coupled with 28.1% literacy rate. Many newspapers suffer some form of censorship and financial difficulty, often relying on supporters of President Hamid Karzai, or the former  supporters of King Zahir Shah. The principal daily newspapers are state-owned and the privately owned Afghanistan Group of Newspapers

 

ISU ASSIGNMENT - Part 2: 10 Substancial Books/Articles on Afghan Culture/Media

1.  Title: My Khyber Marriage: Experiences of a Scotswoman as the Wife of a Pathan Chieftain's Son
Author:  Morag Murray Abdullah

Publisher: The Octagon Press, England 

2. Title: Afghanistan (Cultures of the World)
Author: Sharifah Enayat Ali
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corp
 

3. Title: The Cultural Basis of Afghan Nationalism
Editors: Ewan W. Anderson and Nancy Hatch Dupree
Publisher:  Printer Publishers, 1990, UK.

4. Title: Afghanistan: Fighting for Freedom (Discovering Our Heritage)
Author: Mir T. Ansary
Publisher: Dillon Press

 5. Title: Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History
Author: Thomas Barfield
Publisher: N/A

6. Title: Politics of Women and Development in Afghanistan
Author: Hafizullah Emadi
Publisher: Paragon House

7. Title: State, Revolution, and Superpowers in Afghanistan
Author: Hafizullah Emadi
Publisher: Praeger Pub

8. Title: Afghanistan : Politics, Economics and Society

Author: Bhavani Sen Gupta
Publisher: Pinter Pub Ltd

9. Title: Afghan Resistance: The Politics of Survival
Editors: Grant M. Farr and John G. Merriam
Publisher: Westview Press

10. Title: Tales of Afghanistan
Author: Amina Shah
Publisher: Ishk Book Service

The media of Afghanistan includes printing, broadcasting and digital, it is mainly broadcasted in Pashto and Dari (Persian) languages. It was tightly controlled under the Taliban government from 1996 to 2001. The state media  relaxed press restrictions and private medias started to grow within the last decade. 

 Journalists in Afghanistan work in one of the world's most complex information environments. Sometimes, the lines between propaganda, intelligence and journalism blur. Also,  journalists who cover up Taliban activities have been accused of treachery or  have been arrested, while others have been kidnapped, beaten or tortured by members of the Taliban.

ISU ASSIGNMENT - Part 1: Maps

         AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan, or officially known as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a poor third world nation forming  in parts of South Asia,  Central Asia and to some extent Western Asia. It has a population of around 30 million, making it the 42nd most populous nation and 41st largest nation in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and the east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast.

    

Geo-political map of Afghanistan.

A normal map of Afghanistan with good detail.

 A map of Afghanistan.