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Afghan Ex-Fighter Now Runs Radio News Broadcasts
FrontLines - December-January 2009-10
A former
Afghan “holy
warrior” who
became a
Wall Street
Journal
reporter in
America has
returned to
Kabul under a USAID grant to
head up a media program bringing
millions of Afghans news of
development and progress.
|
Masood Farivar
|
Masood Farivar, 40, has
become the host of the popular
talk show that is reaching some
8 million people across the
country daily out of Kabul and
giving many of them their first
chance to hear callers voicing
their own opinions.
He returned to Kabul in 2007
to train Afghan journalists,
including those with Pajhwok,
the Afghan wire service that is
providing most of the Dari and
Pashtu language news reports
disseminated by newspapers,
radio, and television.
Later, Internews, a USAIDfunded
media training NGO,
asked him to host Salam Watandar,
which means “Hello
Countryman.”
“This has become the flagship
program—the NPR of Afghanistan—
producing quality news
programs six hours each day,”
said Farivar in an interview with
FrontLines.
The show is sent by satellite
to radio stations around Afghanistan
and employs nearly 40
Afghan technicians, engineers,
editors, and reporters, including
11 reporters out in the provinces.
Through Internews, USAID
provides each station with technical
equipment, staff training,
and—for the first six months of
operation—salaries and even fuel
to run generators. After that,
financial support comes from ads.
Some 70 percent of the ads are
public service announcements paid
for by NGOs, the United Nations,
and other non-profit groups.
U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry
was interviewed at the
Salam Watandar studio and had
an extensive tour of the facilities.
“We do news, current affairs,
and also entertainment that people
need. One of the most popular
shows is a call-in satirical show
hosted by a popular comedian.
“Our focus is on the provincial
audience—people with little
or no education and little access
to information.”
The programs are bilingual,
mixing in callers and hosts
speaking both Dari and Pashtu.
Asked about press freedom,
Farivar said “I am optimistic. There
are problems but I don’t think freedom
of the press is under attack.”
Even though in the past two
years Afghanistan’s security situation
has deteriorated, Farivar
said: “I came to believe that what
can help is small and long term
investment in media—starting to
teach people in the villages about
democracy will have impact.”
He said that when he travels
around the country and asks
radio managers what impact they
have, they say they are educating
the public on their rights.
“Already we see results,”
said Farivar. “Human rights and
civil society and rule of law
have entered the national
vocabulary.”
Farivar details how he made
the journey from Afghan fighter
to Harvard scholar to journalist
in his book Confessions of a
Mullah Warrior. — B.B. .
★
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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Material should be submitted
by mail to Editor, FrontLines, USAID,
RRB, Suite 6.10, Washington, DC 20523-6100;
by FAX to 202-216-3035; or by e-mail to frontlines@usaid.gov
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