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| TOLOnews | |
|---|---|
| Name | TOLOnews |
| Native name | تلویزیون آنلاین |
| Country | Afghanistan |
| Launched | 2007 |
| Language | Dari, Pashto, English |
| Headquarters | Kabul |
TOLOnews is an Afghan television network and news agency founded in the 2000s that provides 24-hour broadcast and digital news coverage in Dari, Pashto, and English. The channel operates from Kabul and has sought to cover national and regional events including elections, insurgent attacks, diplomatic visits, and humanitarian crises. Its reporting has intersected with entities such as the United Nations, the ISAF, the ICRC, and numerous nongovernmental organizations.
TOLOnews began amid the post-2001 media expansion in Afghanistan alongside outlets like Radio Free Afghanistan, Ariana TV, and RTA. The channel grew during key events including the 2004 Afghan presidential election, the 2009 Afghan presidential election, the 2014 Afghan presidential election and the 2019 Afghan presidential election. Its timeline parallels interventions and negotiations involving the U.S. Department of State, the EU delegations, and the Taliban insurgency during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). Coverage expanded through crises such as the 2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack, the 2011 Kandahar airfield events, the 2016 Kabul attack on International Security Assistance Force, and the humanitarian emergencies in Helmand Province, Kunduz, and Ghazni Province.
The channel is part of a media group connected with private investors and management with ties to media enterprises seen alongside Moby Group affiliates and regional broadcasters like Reuters, Al Jazeera, BBC partners, and commercial stakeholders such as Ratan Tata-style conglomerates in comparative contexts. Corporate governance has been influenced by interactions with international donors including the USAID, the NED, and philanthropic foundations similar to the Open Society Foundations. Senior editorial leadership has engaged with institutions like Columbia University journalism programs, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and training exchanges with Al Arabiya and Voice of America.
Programming spans rolling news bulletins, daily talk shows, investigative segments, and special reports on topics tied to actors such as the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National Police, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Defense. Formats include interviews with politicians from factions like the Jamiat-e Islami, the Hezb-e Islami, and representatives from the High Peace Council; features on international diplomacy involving the U.S. Department of Defense, the Russian Federation, the China, and the Iran; and cultural programs covering figures such as Ahmad Shah Massoud, Hamid Karzai, and Ashraf Ghani. Business and economic reports reference trade partners like the Islamic Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank.
Editorial policy draws on journalistic standards promoted by organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, the RSF, and regional press associations including the South Asian Free Media Association. The newsroom has navigated legal frameworks like the former Afghanistan Mass Media Law and has been affected by security protocols once coordinated with entities such as Interpol, UNAMA, and local police authorities in Kabul Police Districts. Training and ethics exchanges have involved partnerships with Reuters Institute, Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, and universities including New York University and Stanford University journalism departments.
Broadcast reach covered urban and rural Afghanistan through terrestrial transmitters in provinces including Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, Nangarhar, and Bamyan, and via satellite footprints overlapping with providers like Eutelsat and platforms used by diasporas in Pakistan, Iran, United Arab Emirates, and Germany. Digital distribution includes social media channels interacting with audiences on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and messaging apps used in regional communications like WhatsApp and Telegram. Viewership metrics were compared by analysts to peer outlets such as Tolo TV, Ariana Television Network, and international services like Al Jazeera English.
The broadcaster has faced security incidents including attacks targeting media personnel reminiscent of assaults on journalists reported by Committee to Protect Journalists and incidents drawing international condemnation from offices such as the United Nations Secretary-General and the European External Action Service. Editorial choices prompted criticism from political factions including representatives of the Taliban, supporters of Hamid Karzai, and activists aligned with Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin, and generated legal and regulatory scrutiny involving the Ministry of Information and Culture. Debates involved coverage of events like the 2018 Kabul protests, the 2020 parliamentary elections, and the 2021 Fall of Kabul, with responses from media freedom advocates such as Reporters Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and the International Federation of Journalists.
The outlet and its journalists have received accolades and nominations from bodies such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, the European Press Prize, the One World Media Awards, and regional honors akin to the Asia Media Awards. Individual reporters have been acknowledged by institutions like Amnesty International for human rights reporting, by Georgetown University centers for conflict journalism, and by the British Foreign Press Association for coverage of peace talks including the Doha Agreement negotiations.
Category:Mass media in Afghanistan