Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BISHKEK1565
2006-11-06 11:18:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bishkek
Cable title:
MEDIA COVERAGE OF KYRGYZ PROTESTS PREDICTABLE,
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001565
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND SCA/PPD
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO KG
SUBJECT: MEDIA COVERAGE OF KYRGYZ PROTESTS PREDICTABLE,
WITH ONE SURPRISE
REF: BISHKEK 1554
BISHKEK 00001565 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001565
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND SCA/PPD
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO KG
SUBJECT: MEDIA COVERAGE OF KYRGYZ PROTESTS PREDICTABLE,
WITH ONE SURPRISE
REF: BISHKEK 1554
BISHKEK 00001565 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Summary: The majority of media outlets in Kyrgyzstan
are either government-owned or pro-government in content.
News coverage of the protests have largely painted the
protesters in a negative light. However, one new, small
independent TV station has sided with the opposition and is
providing unbiased coverage of events in its news coverage.
End Summary.
--------------
Media Coverage Predictable
--------------
2. (C) Media coverage of the protests has been largely
predictable. Most Kyrgyz get their news from television,
since with one exception (the daily, pro-government
Vecherniye Bishkek) all other newspapers are published on a
weekly schedule. State owned KTR, the channel with the
largest viewership, and the only station that reaches the
whole country, has done its best to play down the protests.
While a discussion between pro-government and pro-opposition
supporters was taped late last week and has been shown on
occasion over the weekend, coverage during news shows has
been limited and biased. Even though protestors have marched
to the KTR Studio building at least three times, the only
time the channel has provided "breaking news" type coverage
was during a protest at the studio when the channel,s Deputy
Director Beyshenbek Bekeshov was purportedly in a scuffle
after addressing the protestors.
3. (C) KOORT, a television channel rumored to be owned by the
President's son Maxim Bakiyev, has been similarly slanted in
its coverage of the protests. The station has provided a
large amount of time to government officials, in particular
the Prosecutor General. Rather than dismiss the protests,
the channel,s news coverage has focused on the negative
externalities of the protests ) trash in the main square and
traffic disruptions. It has largely avoided the larger
political issues being debated.
4. (C) Many of the main internet news sites in Kyrgyzstan
remain blocked to the outside world. Independent wire
service AKIPress and generally anti-US wire service 24.kg
have been inaccessible since November 2. AKIPress has
temporarily opened a blog to publish their information
outside of Kyrgyzstan. Elcat, the primary internet provider
in Kyrgyzstan, and the wire services report that the denial
of service attacks have continued since November 2, with
attackers actively working to overcome any new defenses the
companies may put in place.
--------------
NTS Throws In With the Opposition
--------------
5. (C) The only surprise in the media coverage has been the
new NTS channel. The station started airing the day after
the March 24, 2005 events, and is owned by an Opposition MP
with large investments from Russian companies and is run by a
president with no media experience (Baktygul Jeenbaeva is a
former banker and government economist),the channel has been
a plucky independent voice. The channel has been using a
system of couriering tapes of the protest back to the main
studio and airing them without comment on what amounts to a
thirty minute to one hour delay (Comment: KTR is the only
channel in Kyrgyzstan with live to air capability, but their
Soviet-era equipment is unwieldy, and unsurprisingly, has so
far been unused during the protests). NTS,s taped coverage
focuses almost exclusively on opposition speakers, with
BISHKEK 00001565 002.2 OF 002
pro-government voices receiving very little airtime on the
"without comment" segments.
6. (C) During regular newscasts, the day,s events are
provided in a very evenhanded manner with regular live
telephone interviews with reporters on the scene of the
protests. The channel has also been running public
service-style announcements on behalf of the opposition,
urging people to come to the main square to protest and
linking President Bakiyev with corruption.
7. (C) NTS,s potential audience is limited to Bishkek and
its environs, and its reporting and investigative staff are
small. The channel is making a name for itself during these
protests, however. PAS staff visiting the White House on
November 6 noticed that many of the televisions in the
offices were tuned to NTS for its "almost live" coverage of
events throughout the day.
YOVANOVITCH
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND SCA/PPD
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO KG
SUBJECT: MEDIA COVERAGE OF KYRGYZ PROTESTS PREDICTABLE,
WITH ONE SURPRISE
REF: BISHKEK 1554
BISHKEK 00001565 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Summary: The majority of media outlets in Kyrgyzstan
are either government-owned or pro-government in content.
News coverage of the protests have largely painted the
protesters in a negative light. However, one new, small
independent TV station has sided with the opposition and is
providing unbiased coverage of events in its news coverage.
End Summary.
--------------
Media Coverage Predictable
--------------
2. (C) Media coverage of the protests has been largely
predictable. Most Kyrgyz get their news from television,
since with one exception (the daily, pro-government
Vecherniye Bishkek) all other newspapers are published on a
weekly schedule. State owned KTR, the channel with the
largest viewership, and the only station that reaches the
whole country, has done its best to play down the protests.
While a discussion between pro-government and pro-opposition
supporters was taped late last week and has been shown on
occasion over the weekend, coverage during news shows has
been limited and biased. Even though protestors have marched
to the KTR Studio building at least three times, the only
time the channel has provided "breaking news" type coverage
was during a protest at the studio when the channel,s Deputy
Director Beyshenbek Bekeshov was purportedly in a scuffle
after addressing the protestors.
3. (C) KOORT, a television channel rumored to be owned by the
President's son Maxim Bakiyev, has been similarly slanted in
its coverage of the protests. The station has provided a
large amount of time to government officials, in particular
the Prosecutor General. Rather than dismiss the protests,
the channel,s news coverage has focused on the negative
externalities of the protests ) trash in the main square and
traffic disruptions. It has largely avoided the larger
political issues being debated.
4. (C) Many of the main internet news sites in Kyrgyzstan
remain blocked to the outside world. Independent wire
service AKIPress and generally anti-US wire service 24.kg
have been inaccessible since November 2. AKIPress has
temporarily opened a blog to publish their information
outside of Kyrgyzstan. Elcat, the primary internet provider
in Kyrgyzstan, and the wire services report that the denial
of service attacks have continued since November 2, with
attackers actively working to overcome any new defenses the
companies may put in place.
--------------
NTS Throws In With the Opposition
--------------
5. (C) The only surprise in the media coverage has been the
new NTS channel. The station started airing the day after
the March 24, 2005 events, and is owned by an Opposition MP
with large investments from Russian companies and is run by a
president with no media experience (Baktygul Jeenbaeva is a
former banker and government economist),the channel has been
a plucky independent voice. The channel has been using a
system of couriering tapes of the protest back to the main
studio and airing them without comment on what amounts to a
thirty minute to one hour delay (Comment: KTR is the only
channel in Kyrgyzstan with live to air capability, but their
Soviet-era equipment is unwieldy, and unsurprisingly, has so
far been unused during the protests). NTS,s taped coverage
focuses almost exclusively on opposition speakers, with
BISHKEK 00001565 002.2 OF 002
pro-government voices receiving very little airtime on the
"without comment" segments.
6. (C) During regular newscasts, the day,s events are
provided in a very evenhanded manner with regular live
telephone interviews with reporters on the scene of the
protests. The channel has also been running public
service-style announcements on behalf of the opposition,
urging people to come to the main square to protest and
linking President Bakiyev with corruption.
7. (C) NTS,s potential audience is limited to Bishkek and
its environs, and its reporting and investigative staff are
small. The channel is making a name for itself during these
protests, however. PAS staff visiting the White House on
November 6 noticed that many of the televisions in the
offices were tuned to NTS for its "almost live" coverage of
events throughout the day.
YOVANOVITCH