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Taliban’s Media Crackdown Transforms Afghanistan’s Information Landscape
New York, August 13, 2025—In four years, the Taliban have systematically dismantled Afghanistan’s once-vibrant independent media sector, replacing it with a sophisticated propaganda empire that controls information across traditional and digital platforms throughout the country.
An investigation by CPJ, based on interviews with 10 Afghan journalists both inside and outside the country, reveals how independent outlets that once reached millions have been banned, suspended, or forcibly shuttered, while key media organizations have been commandeered by Taliban authorities. None of the journalists agreed to be named, citing fears of severe reprisals.
The Taliban now operate approximately 15 major television and radio stations, newspapers, and digital platforms—including channels on YouTube, X, and Telegram—all rigidly aligned with their fundamentalist Islamist ideology.
“The ruling authority enforces a monolithic media policy, rejecting any news, narrative, or voice that deviates from what they deem the truth,” said Ahmad Quraishi, director of the exiled Afghanistan Journalists Center, in an interview with CPJ. “Even personal opinions expressed on platforms like Facebook are treated as propaganda and punished accordingly.”
Exiled journalists provide one of the last remaining sources of independent information for Afghans. However, they face significant challenges, including safety concerns, financial hardship, job insecurity, and potential forced repatriation due to recent U.S. funding cuts to Congress-funded outlets like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Surveillance State for Journalists
As Afghanistan marks the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s August 15, 2021 takeover, most journalists interviewed described living under what amounts to a “media police state,” characterized by constant surveillance, censorship, and intimidation.
“Taliban intelligence agents have launched a policing system where every journalist is expected to spy on others,” explained a media executive who previously led a television station in eastern Afghanistan. “They demand complete personal information on all staff: names, fathers’ names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, WhatsApp numbers… We must report everything.”
Intelligence operatives routinely monitor reporters’ social media activity and detain those deemed problematic, while the morality police arrest journalists who violate the regime’s strict interpretation of Sharia law. These restrictions include bans on music, soap operas, and programs co-hosted by male and female presenters.
Two media owners from northern and eastern provinces told CPJ they faced invasive revenue audits and administrative delays because authorities perceived them as insufficiently compliant with Taliban directives.
“Taliban agents reach out to journalists privately, pressuring them to spy on their colleagues or push specific narratives,” one owner said. “If someone refuses, they call the media manager and demand the journalist be fired. We comply, or we face licensing issues from the Ministry of Information and Culture or financial penalties from the Ministry of Finance.”
Female journalists face particularly harsh treatment. Two women from western Afghanistan reported being summoned more than 10 times each in the past two years by Taliban authorities.
“Once they interrogated me for three hours in the office of the Directorate of Virtue and Vice, asking why I worked instead of staying home,” one woman told CPJ. “They said that if I were found working with exiled media, it would be wajib al-qatl [permissible to kill me]. One official said, ‘We forgive you this time, you thank God for this. But under Sharia, we could bring any calamity upon you.'”
Inside the Taliban’s Media Empire
The Taliban have built a comprehensive media infrastructure. Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), with over 500 staff nationwide and an annual budget of approximately 600 million Afghanis (US$8.8 million), serves as their broadcasting flagship, primarily promoting Taliban governance achievements.
Bakhtar News Agency, Afghanistan’s oldest news service founded in 1939, now operates under the information ministry with around 60 staff in Kabul and four reporters in each of the country’s 34 provinces. Publishing in eight languages, including Mandarin and Turkish, it functions as the Taliban’s official news wire.
The information ministry also controls several long-established daily newspapers, including Dari-language Anis, Pashto-language Hewad, and the English-language Kabul Times.
Security and intelligence agencies operate their own media outlets. The General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI)—responsible for numerous media crackdowns—launched Hurriyat Radio in 2022. The defense ministry operates Radio Omid with 45 staff in Kabul and correspondents across provinces, while the interior ministry runs Radio Police, broadcasting in major areas including Kabul and Kandahar.
The Taliban’s digital presence includes four news websites, with at least three operated by the intelligence agency. The flagship Al Mirsad, a multilingual site launched in 2023, focuses on countering Islamic State-Khorasan narratives while promoting Taliban military successes. It is funded by the GDI and linked to Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani’s network.
Sophisticated Disinformation Campaign
Beyond traditional media control, the Taliban have developed an extensive digital disinformation operation. According to journalists familiar with the program, intelligence officials coordinate dozens of paid content creators from four dedicated offices, with operatives earning between 6,000 and 10,000 Afghanis (US$88-146) monthly to manage fake social media accounts.
These accounts systematically troll critics, smear activists, and create the illusion of widespread public support for Taliban policies. The operation reportedly involves senior GDI figures, though those named in CPJ’s investigation either denied involvement or declined to comment.
Qais Alamdar, exiled founder of the open-source investigative platform IntelFocus, has documented these bot networks, which often post nearly identical content within minutes to amplify regime messaging or bury unfavorable news.
“Only someone with consistent access to electricity, internet, and time could maintain that kind of operation in Afghanistan,” Alamdar told CPJ, highlighting the coordinated nature of these campaigns.
For remaining independent journalists in Afghanistan, the space for legitimate reporting has virtually disappeared. Multiple journalists from different provinces told CPJ that aside from education and health stories, they are only permitted to cover traffic accidents. Even basic crime reporting is banned in many areas.
In the northeastern Panjshir Valley, once a stronghold of resistance to Taliban rule, no independent media outlets remain operational, according to Ahmad Hanayesh, a former radio station owner now living in exile.
Taliban officials, including GDI media director Khalil Hamraz and chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, did not respond to CPJ’s requests for comment on these findings.
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8 Comments
This is a concerning development for press freedom and independent reporting in Afghanistan. The Taliban’s crackdown on media outlets and dominance of the information landscape is extremely troubling. It will be critical to monitor the situation and find ways to support independent Afghan journalists.
The Taliban’s systematic dismantling of Afghanistan’s independent media sector and replacement with a propaganda empire is a devastating blow to press freedom and transparency. This will make it extremely difficult for the Afghan public to access objective, unbiased information. Urgent action is needed to protect journalists and restore media pluralism.
This report on the Taliban’s media control in Afghanistan is extremely concerning. The suppression of independent voices and the establishment of a state-run propaganda machine are hallmarks of authoritarian regimes. The international community must do more to support Afghan journalists and safeguard media freedom in the country.
Absolutely. The Taliban’s actions show a blatant disregard for the principles of democracy and a free press. Protecting independent journalism is critical for the future of Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s media control and propaganda machine pose serious threats to the free flow of information and public discourse in Afghanistan. This is a worrying step backwards for democracy and transparency. I hope the international community can find ways to pressure the Taliban and protect independent media.
Agreed, the Taliban’s actions are deeply concerning. Independent media is a cornerstone of a free society, and their suppression of alternative voices is extremely alarming.
This news about the Taliban’s media dominance is very troubling. A free and independent press is crucial for a functioning democracy, and their crackdown will have severe consequences for the Afghan people’s access to accurate information. Something must be done to support journalists and media outlets there.
The Taliban’s dominance of the Afghan media landscape through their propaganda empire is a worrying development that will have severe consequences for the country’s information landscape. The systematic dismantling of independent outlets and the imposition of a monolithic, state-controlled narrative is a grave threat to press freedom and democratic discourse. Urgent action is needed to support Afghan journalists and restore media pluralism.