Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT1475
2008-11-07 11:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMEN STATE TV COVERAGE OF ELECTION RECEPTION
how-toVZCZCXRO5578 PP RUEHAG RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV DE RUEHAH #1475 3121127 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 071127Z NOV 08 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1831 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4480 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2292 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2157 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 2728 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3046
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001475
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, PPD, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM SCUL KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMEN STATE TV COVERAGE OF ELECTION RECEPTION
NOT BROADCAST
REF: ASHGABAT 1470
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Sylvia Reed Curran
for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001475
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, PPD, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM SCUL KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMEN STATE TV COVERAGE OF ELECTION RECEPTION
NOT BROADCAST
REF: ASHGABAT 1470
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Sylvia Reed Curran
for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).
1. (C) Although a TV crew from the state-controlled "Watan"
TV channel eagerly attended and filmed parts of post's
election reception on November 5 (reftel),coverage of the
event was entirely absent from that evening,s broadcast,
which was instead filled with typical, boring state media
stories. In a phone call on November 6, the Watan news
director told an Embassy staff member that the TV channel had
edited and finalized the story about the election event and
passed it "to the ministry8 for review. Curiously, the
"ministry" never returned the tape to Watan, with no
explanation. Embassy staff had never before heard that level
of specificity on how news stories are approved prior to
broadcast.
2. (C) Also noteworthy was the news director's reference to
the "ministry." All TV stations are part of the Ministry of
Culture and TV/Radio Broadcasting, so this implied it was
passed to a different ministry. The Embassy staff member
asked &to the ministry? Which ministry?8 The news
director nervously dodged the question and did not specify.
In prior cases, media contacts have noted that their stories
had been clearly turned down. In some of those cases, they
re-edited the material and still managed to have something
&less risky8 broadcast or published.
3. (C) COMMENT: We can only speculate about what exactly
happened to the election reception coverage, but it does
appear to have fallen victim to the government's active
censorship process. In this particular case, the excitement
and implications of American democracy and elections may have
been just too sensitive for the censors to even respond to
Watan. This is especially disappointing because President
Berdimuhamedov has publicly called for coverage of
international news. Watan missed covering a huge
international news story, even though it was easy to cover
with an Ashgabat perspective. We,ll see if Turkmenistan
channel, which also covered the event, still carries a story
on the reception in the next few days. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, PPD, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM SCUL KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMEN STATE TV COVERAGE OF ELECTION RECEPTION
NOT BROADCAST
REF: ASHGABAT 1470
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Sylvia Reed Curran
for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).
1. (C) Although a TV crew from the state-controlled "Watan"
TV channel eagerly attended and filmed parts of post's
election reception on November 5 (reftel),coverage of the
event was entirely absent from that evening,s broadcast,
which was instead filled with typical, boring state media
stories. In a phone call on November 6, the Watan news
director told an Embassy staff member that the TV channel had
edited and finalized the story about the election event and
passed it "to the ministry8 for review. Curiously, the
"ministry" never returned the tape to Watan, with no
explanation. Embassy staff had never before heard that level
of specificity on how news stories are approved prior to
broadcast.
2. (C) Also noteworthy was the news director's reference to
the "ministry." All TV stations are part of the Ministry of
Culture and TV/Radio Broadcasting, so this implied it was
passed to a different ministry. The Embassy staff member
asked &to the ministry? Which ministry?8 The news
director nervously dodged the question and did not specify.
In prior cases, media contacts have noted that their stories
had been clearly turned down. In some of those cases, they
re-edited the material and still managed to have something
&less risky8 broadcast or published.
3. (C) COMMENT: We can only speculate about what exactly
happened to the election reception coverage, but it does
appear to have fallen victim to the government's active
censorship process. In this particular case, the excitement
and implications of American democracy and elections may have
been just too sensitive for the censors to even respond to
Watan. This is especially disappointing because President
Berdimuhamedov has publicly called for coverage of
international news. Watan missed covering a huge
international news story, even though it was easy to cover
with an Ashgabat perspective. We,ll see if Turkmenistan
channel, which also covered the event, still carries a story
on the reception in the next few days. END COMMENT.
CURRAN