DUSHANBE, March 2, 2009, Asia-Plus — “Tajik media should acquire character of the fourth power in order to support development of society,” Culture Minister Mirzoshorukh Asrori remarked at a meeting with chief editors of print media in Dushanbe on February 28.
President’s decree of February 7 obligating state officials to take into account the media critical and analytical materials and properly and opportunely respond to them was the focus of the meeting that brought together heads of media organizations and editors of the Dushanbe-based state-run and independent newspapers.
Speaking at the meeting, the minister noted that the state-run media were currently engaged in advocacy of the government, while the independent media worked mainly in the interests of market. “Under such circumstances, neither of them may meet national interests completely,” Asrori said, adding that the decree calls on media to become factor promoting development of Tajik society.
In the meantime, the head of Tajikistan’s Association of Independent Electronic Media (TAJANESMI) Mouso Asozoda noted that singing of that decree meant that henceforth, the president would rely on those media that would promote elimination of shortcomings in activities of ministries and departments by their critical and analytical materials. “Therefore, there is possibility that in the future, the government will depart from the state-run media that bring nothing but expenses and will rely on the independent media,” Asozoda said.
Editor-in-chief of the Dushanbe independent weekly
Farazh
, Khurshed Atovullo, suggested that a number of amendments should be made to appropriate laws in order to make the decree really effective. “There ought not to hope for positive results from the decree until notions such defamation and insult are considered within the framework of criminal code. Civil code should consider such cases,” Atovullo said.
