The Future of Afghan Journalism: ‘We Choose the Reality We Wish to Present’
Journalism comes with many risks. This concern is growing as more journalists face threats and even murder. In this personal essay I reflect on my choices as a journalist in the Afghan diaspora and the dangers that Afghan journalists face.
When I told my aunt that I’m studying journalism, as I often tell my family to save time and energy from explaining what my degree entails, she said the following: ‘Very well. But promise me to never go to Afghanistan as a journalist.’ She was proud of me but the reality of Afghan journalists, especially women, was a frightening thought.
Diaspora
I grew up in the Afghan diaspora. Living in the diaspora comes with a sense of guilt that we ‘made it out’ and don’t need to fear for our lives while gaining many opportunities. Not just that, but also the inter-generational traumas that were passed onto us from our parents and elders are translated into our daily lives.
Although I did not experience first-hand the trauma of war and loss that my family went through, I heard their heart-breaking stories and watched the daily news unfold with more devastation.
It was just this year that three female journalists working for a news outlet became the targets of an attack. They did not survive.
Five days ago, May 6 2021, a Tolo News journalist (one of the main broadcasting channels) was killed after ‘a Taliban spokesman warned that media workers who carry out ‘biased reporting’ would be ‘held responsible’’.
Resilience
Each attack is felt deeply through the veins of the country. Not just by its citizens but also the diaspora that reaches miles beyond the motherland. From neighboring countries like Iran and Pakistan all the way to Europe and the U.S.
The regularity of loss and devastation that the community faces has required Afghan people to be resilient. Particularly the Hazara community is affected most, who are repeatedly targeted and have been facing genocide for more than a century. They continue to go on with their daily lives and go back to school and work no matter what happened the day before.
‘The ongoing war has been normalized because it is something that happens daily’
But it also numbs people to hear and witness these stories daily. I asked my mother if she is doing ok after hearing all the news and her reply was agonizing to me: ‘I have been hearing this for 40 years now. It’s nothing new.’ She is only 48.
Aside from my mother’s feelings and the tragedy of the situation, I often see mainstream media outside of Afghanistan uninterested in what happens there. The ongoing war has been normalized because it is something that happens daily. Perhaps it doesn’t fit the 24/7 news cycle and therefore it’s not ‘newsworthy’ enough.
The danger of that, however, is that many stories go untold. The reality of Afghan lives, and Afghan journalists are not covered as often. If they are, it often lacks important nuances.
That is one of the reasons I went into, or trying to get into journalism. Going after the stories that are often not heard or given much attention to but are crucial for public debates and democratic discourse.
Beyond the surface
We need these stories that go beyond the surface of Afghanistan. Investigations that uncover the underlying mechanisms and the political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors that play a crucial role. Personal stories that are not just focused on the tragedies or written from an orientalist perspective. Rather, we need uplifting and inspiring content to show the potential of Afghan people.
There are many journalists working hard in Afghanistan to make this happen. Born- and raised Afghan journalists but also foreign journalists and correspondents. They each navigate their way around the threats and dangers to cover the news and conduct interviews.
I hope to go back to the place my aunt forbade me so I can make a meaningful contribution to the Afghan narrative. The work I do will always be shaped by my personal experiences to some extent and cannot fully grasp the struggle first-hand.
‘We choose the reality we wish to present’
As Coco Olakunle said in a university lecture I attended about activism through celebration and the Black Hair Project: we choose the reality we wish to present.
Journalists always need to make trade-offs and weigh the importance of the reality they represent through their work. I may choose to show the inspiring and resilient side of Afghanistan which doesn’t reflect its tragedies. But creators and artists in general may make these decisions based on legitimate justifications.
As some say about journalism but is often forgotten: journalism is a process, not a final product or outcome.
