Almost 80% of Afghan journalists changed profession post-Taliban takeover

Nearly 80 per cent of Afghan journalists changed their profession after the Taliban took control of the country.

Journalists' Foundation of Afghanistan said that Afghan Journalists are going through the worst economic situation as 79 per cent of them have lost their jobs and resorted to other professions to make money and survive, reported The Khaama Press.

Prior to that, statistics have shown that up to 75 per cent of media in Afghanistan have been shut due to financial woes.

"Since the fall of the (former) government, six radio stations have been closed in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan--five of them halted their operations due to economic challenges and another one stopped because of the lack of its employee--who was female," said Yousuf Zarifi, head of the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee in eastern Afghanistan, reported Tolo News.

Findings of the Foundation indicate that 91 per cent of Afghan journalists are satisfied from having chosen the profession while only 8 per cent are not happy, reported The Khaama Press.

462 Afghan journalists across Afghanistan have taken part in the survey among them were 390 male and 72 female.

Some journalists expressed concerns over their economic status, saying that they have lost their jobs as many media outlets have recently halted operations, reported Tolo News.

The foundation assessed the lives of Afghan journalists in the past one and a half months when the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan and found that they are living the worst life due to the fragile economic situation.

The foundation called on the International Community and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to address the economic situation of the Afghan journalists, reported The Khaama Press.

A survey conducted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) showed that since August, 40 per cent of media outlets in Afghanistan have ceased operating, and 80 per cent of women journalists and media workers have become unemployed due to restrictions, reported Tolo News.

"A total of 231 media outlets have had to close and more than 6.400 journalists have lost their jobs since 15 August. Women journalists have been hit the hardest, with four out of five no longer working," the survey said.