The mass

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...

experience greater freedom compared to neighbouring countries in the region,BBC: Country profile: Kyrgyzstan
/ref> and the constitution guarantees

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

and prohibits

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

.Kyrgyzstan country profile

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Federal Research Division The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress. The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unite ...

(January 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

. However, the media are still restricted by the government. The OSCE issued a report on the ethical standards in print and online media of Kyrgyzstan.

Newspapers and magazines

In 2003, eight of Kyrgyzstan’s 25 to 30 newspapers and magazines were state-owned, and the state publishing house, Uchkun, was the major newspaper publisher in the country.

Television and radio

Competition among media outlets is skewed by heavy government support of pro-government

newspapers A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports ...

and broadcast outlets. In the early 2000s, an increasing number of such outlets were controlled by individuals with ties to the government. There is currently a mixture of 8 state owned and 20 private television networks in Kyrgyzstan, where the government restricts broadcasts and has in the past, intimidated or shut down private networks such as NTS which aired opposition protests.Freedom House 2007 report
/ref> There are 23 FM radio stations and a total of 13 AM stations. The state-owned media is dominant, and moves to privatise it by the opposition were blocked by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, given the political climate in the country. However coverage is limited, especially in the south of the country. Most private networks are based in the capital,

Bishkek Bishkek ( ky, Бишкек), ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of ...

. There were 187.6

television set A television set or television receiver, more commonly called the television, TV, TV set, telly, tele, or tube, is a device that combines a tuner, display, and loudspeakers, for the purpose of viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or using ...

s per 1,000 population in 2004; no statistics were available on radio use. Like television and radio, news media are restricted in what they can report and are rarely critical of the government. Journalists in the past have been harassed and intimidated who were both pro and anti-government, and protested when the President took the role of deputy director at the state run Public Broadcasting Corporation of the Kyrgyz Republic. There is a mixture of state owned and private agencies, in Kyrgyz, Russian and English languages. Libel is a punishable offence, though it is unevenly enforced. After the change of government in 2005, opposition views generally received more exposure in the media than before. However, access to the mass media by opposition spokespersons remained limited. An opposition television station Sentyabr (September) was ordered to close by a Kyrgyz court.

Internet

More than 34 percent of population in Kyrgyzstan were using Internet by 2016. The growth of the Internet usage led to online media being more significant, and playing a bigger role in the political processes in the country. The best example of that were anticorruption protests held in Bishkek in November and December 2019 after

Kloop Kloop is a media organization based in Kyrgyzstan known for its news website and journalism investigations. Founded in 2007, Kloop gained prominence in Kyrgyzstan three years later, when it investigated criminal activities of the son of the preside ...

, a local media outlet, had published an investigation together with the Kyrgyz bureau of

Radio Liberty Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

and

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) is a global network of investigative journalists with staff on six continents. It was founded in 2006 and specializes in organized crime and corruption. It publishes its stories through ...

about the massive corruption at the Kyrgyz customs service.

Newspapers and magazines

Television and radio

Internet

See also

References

External links