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Senior Fellow Jasamin Ulfat-Seddiqzai recently wrote an article for Zeit Online newspaper titled “With the Truth against Taliban and Corruption” (“Mit der Wahrheit gegen Taliban und Korruption”). In the article, Jasamin discusses the various cliches that German media uses to talk about Afghanistan: fighters, dusty streets, and pick-up trucks. She argues that while these descriptions may be true, it is impossible to understand a country without observing its culture as well as looking at its own media.
In her article, Jasamin brings up Afghan television as an example of local media that has all of the familiar features to an outside viewer. Those include daily news shows that talk about relevant topics, such as corruption and frequent attacks, and political talk shows, where young journalists have an opportunity to openly ask politicians various questions. Jasamin argues that even without speaking the language, one can see that those are not made by amateurs.
You can read the full article here (in German).