WEB-BASED NEWS MEDIA IN KYRGYZSTAN: KYRGYZ NEWS IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 001742

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, R, PA AND INR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KPAO KG
SUBJECT: WEB-BASED NEWS MEDIA IN KYRGYZSTAN: KYRGYZ NEWS IN
REAL-TIME

REF: BISHKEK 1737

BISHKEK 00001742 001.2 OF 003


Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for Internet distribution.


1. (U) This is the second in a series of cables on the state
of the media in Kyrgyzstan, with additional cables covering
broadcast media, National TV and overall analysis to follow.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: From the far corners of the republic, an
increasing number of Kyrgyz citizens have access to news and
information via the Internet. Through various news agencies,
blogs and discussion boards, the public can view news
bulletins and articles in real-time, then comment on or
participate in a debate about these current events. Current
estimates put Internet usage in the Kyrgyz Republic at over
280,000 or 5.2% of the overall population. Web-based news
reporting also allows for certain conditions of anonymity to
journalists. Kyrgyz youths and intellectuals are turning to
the net for timely news and analysis, while the Internet also
offers those with access in Kyrgyzstan an immediate voice to
their compatriots and the rest of the world. END SUMMARY.

NEWS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
--------------

AKIPRESS


3. (SBU) Of all media outlets available to the population of
Kyrgyzstan, AKIpress (www.akipress.com) is the only truly
independent source for news and information, as demonstrated
by its overwhelming popularity with over 900,000 hits per
month to the website over the last year. Owned and operated
by economist Marat Tazabekov, the news agency started in 2001
with support from the Open Society Institute, EURASIA and
Canadian grants and is offered in both English and Russian.
With offices in Bishkek and Osh, AKIpress provides trusted,
factual reporting on political, social, and economic events
in real-time without politically slanted analysis. Tazabekov
has guarded the agency's independence through
self-sustainability, using the proceeds of subscriptions and
advertisements to finance the operation. By abstaining from
editorials that reveal an AKIpress stance on local politics,
the news agency operates free from the influences of all
political figures. AKIpress also provides an increasingly
popular venue for press conferences, and it prints the Limon
weekly newspaper and the AKIpress monthly magazine.

KABAR


4. (SBU) The dinosaur of web-based news agencies out of
Kyrgyzstan, Kabar National Information Agency (www.kabar.kg)
was created in 1992 as the successor to the local branch of
the Soviet TASS information service. Kabar, offered in
Russian, Kyrgyz, English, and Turkish, is the official news
agency of the government of Kyrgyzstan and is clearly
President Bakiyev's mouthpiece on the web. It is strictly
controlled by the presidential office and serves as the only
venue for press conferences held by government officials.
Also with a branch office in Osh, Kabar provides timely news
on political, economic, and social issues in Kyrgyz and
Russian, but typically from a pro-government angle. Given the
low rate of 100,000 hits per month, it is clear that the
Kyrgyz public favors other sites for accurate and dependable
news reports.

24.KG


5. (SBU) Newest to the Internet media scene and rumored to be
owned by Prime Minister Felix Kulov, 24.kg (www.24.kg) was
created in April 2005 and offers the news through the
rose-colored glasses of pro-Kulov editors and journalists.
Earlier in the year there was some political distance between
the president and prime minister, and this distance was

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evident in the 24.kg articles, to include photographs that
were unflattering to Bakiyev. With the Bakiyev-Kulov
"tandem" apparently strengthened following the November
demonstrations, the prime minister's web-based news agency
has backed off of the president and has begun to show the
tandem in more positive light. With a hit count averaging
over 175,000 per month since inception, 24.kg's rate of hits
will soon double that of Kabar and likely continue to grow.


FERGHANA.RU


6. (SBU) Extremely popular in southern Kyrgyzstan,
Ferghana.ru (www.ferghana.ru) reports on issues and events
throughout Central Asia, specifically focused on the Ferghana
Valley in Russian, English, and Uzbek. Established in the
fall of 1998, Ferghana.ru now logs an average of over 700,000
hits per month. With a large following in Central Asia and
around the world, Ferghana.ru is known for its investigative
reporting that highlights the repressive acts by Central
Asian leaders such as Uzbekistan's president, Islam Karimov.
Daniil Kislov, the founder and editor-in-chief of the news
agency, operates from headquarters in Moscow but has
correspondents throughout Central Asia and a satellite office
in Osh. Being based in Moscow allowed Ferghana.ru to
continue reporting on the recent demonstrations in Bishkek,
while Kyrgyzstan-based news agencies could not be accessed.

CENTRASIA.RU


7. (SBU) Purported to be based in Moscow and controlled by
the Russian National Security Service (FSB) and its
counterparts in each of the Central Asian states,
Centrasia.ru publishes articles from the questionable to the
outrageous. Even given its regional coverage, the website
only registers an average of nearly 190,000 hits per month.
However, the effect is felt via dissemination of stories
through some Kyrgyz newspapers and state agencies. The
editorial slant is clearly anti-American.

PR.KG


8. (SBU) Operated by editors of the newspaper Obschestvenniy
Reiting, PR.kg (www.pr.kg) became quite popular among the
Kyrgyz population for its collection of articles copied from
other web-based news agencies, together with stories printed
in the newspaper. Occasionally, Obschestvenniy Reiting
journalists will offer new, original articles not posted or
printed anywhere else. Although loyalties have shifted
several times within the newspaper, PR.kg follows the current
editorial policy of being neutral when discussing Kyrgyz
politics.

FORUMS AND BLOGS: THE REAL VOICES OF KYRGYZ CITIZENS
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8. (SBU) Often dubbed "popular journalism", discussion
boards, blogs, and forums provide an opportunity for average
citizens to voice their opinions or ideas about current
events in the political, economic or social realms. Some
discussion groups, such as Diesel Forum
(http://diesel.elcat.kg) contain zero editorial input and the
reader is left to determine which posts to take seriously.
Other sites such as the blog run by the President of the NGO
Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, Edil Baisalov
(baisalov.livejournal.com),profess the ideologies and
opinions of individuals writing the blogs while providing the
opportunity to post counter-arguments by the general public.
AKIpress, 24.kg, PR.kg and Ferghana.ru also offer anyone the
ability to comment on articles listed on the web sites.

COMMENT
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9. (SBU) As the sphere of influence of web-based information
continues to expand, the political and social elite, along
with the USG, cannot ignore the fact that the Internet is a
gateway to the minds of the Kyrgyz intelligentsia and
educated youth, our target audience. During the November
demonstrations, most newspapers printed once or twice a week
and television programs were either one-sided or
non-existent. The Internet was the only form of
up-to-the-minute, raw reporting available to the public.
However, much of the content on the web is unedited and often
heavily biased toward Russia and against the U.S.
Conspicuous by its absence is any local Internet outlet with
a US or western perspective, although AKIpress is at least
unbiased. Given the popularity of web-based media with
educated youth, it is increasingly important that the U.S. be
able to counter quickly and effectively disinformation on the
web. End comment.
YOVANOVITCH