Afghanistan
Government bans live coverage of attacksPosted Mar 12 2010
After a Taliban suicide bomber struck the heavily guarded Kabul killing of 16 on Feb. 26, the Afghan government banned live coverage of attacks, New York Times reported.
Government officials say militants watch the coverage to learn security flaws. Officials think the ban will also protect journalists caught in crisis.
Journalists have denounced the decision, considering the act to be censorship. The Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association refuses the implementation of new restrictions.
“We think that they just want to hide their weaknesses — the Afghan security officials —because the media is reporting very well,” President of Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association, Rahimullah Samandar said in an interview to BBC.
The ban applies to both national and foreign news organizations. According to South Asian Media Net, the government passed a similar ban in August 2009 prior to the presidential election day, but it was loosely enforced.