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 �00A; ¶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 BISHKEK 00001742 002.2 OF 003 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 -------------- -------------- ¶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 -------------- BISHKEK 00001742 003.2 OF 003 ¶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