How Free Press Has Strengthened Democracy in Afghanistan

M. Ashraf Haidari authored a piece in Tolo News, regarding the impact of free press on democracy in Afghanistan.

Free press, which is one of the key features of any rising and functioning democracy, has played a seminal role in strengthening democratic governance and rule of law in Afghanistan. More notably, free media have directly contributed to the rapid development of a still growing civil society and, as its essential member, have empowered such vulnerable groups as women, youth, and the poor—a clear majority in Afghanistan—to increasingly exercise their rights under the country’s progressive constitution.

In other words, where women and youth are often relegated to the bottom of society given traditional practices of gender inequity and other cultural double-standards, the free press—through the mediums of TV, radio, and print—has awaken them to see how they can play their rightful, equal role in helping stabilize, rebuild and develop Afghanistan on a sustainable basis. Moreover, Afghan media have lost no opportunity to tap into social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others—to serve their role as a check on the government, helping expand transparency and highlight efforts or lack thereof to fight corruption.