If you read this blog regularly you’re already aware of our work during the Afghan elections over at http://aliveinafghanistan.org . You may have also read my previous post regarding the potential for getting reliable information from Afghanistan right now. Now we have decided to initiate fundraising for a small pilot project in Afghanistan.
With $3000 we should be able to reliably purchase equipment and internet access to publish regular short videos produced by a local, english-speaking Afghan producer over the span of 3 months. If we can only raise $2000 we believe we will still be able to fund the project for 3 months, however the reliability of video updates will be less certain and dispatches may be more infrequent.
Our goal is to provide a window into Kandahar City and the surrounding region over the span of three months. Once we have begun the project and seen its successful progress over the first month we’ll continue fundraising to keep the project going after the initial three month period.
We are also working on some larger funding opportunities. We are approaching you, our audience, and the internet public writ large, in the hopes that you value the work we are doing and can contribute even a few dollars to support grassroots, independent, afghan-driven journalism in a region with no permanent international news presence.
Each month we will bring you to the streets of Kandahar, to meet Afghan civilians living under the uncertainty that life in an act of conflict zone brings. With our correspondent’s help you’ll be get firsthand knowledge about the reality of the progress, or lack thereof, made by international forces and Afghan government.
How can we measure progress without eyes on the ground, independent eyes, responsive to the international public?
The short answer is we can’t. That is why we’re asking you to take a stand for a free and independent Afghan press and support an Afghan journalist to provide you the necessary insight in a difficult and much misunderstood part of the world. Please do it now, click the icon above and contribute. Skip one coffee this week, or bring a bag lunch to work. It’s a small loss to you and a big gain for Afghanistan and the international community.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Tweets that mention Help Fund Independent Journalism in Afghanistan -- Topsy.com // Sep 21, 2009 at 11:15 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brian Conley and stefan day. stefan day said: rt @What's our nearterm plan for Independent Afghan Journalism? http://bit.ly/TqPpM Help fund Afghan press! Pls RT! [...]
2 Cindy Thurman // Sep 21, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I suppose you have never heard of Michael Yon??? there are independents already there…fund their continued work instead of starting all over…
3 Brian // Sep 21, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Cindy, I have certainly heard of Michael Yon. You may have also heard of http://aliveinbaghdad.org our previous work?
Our work began in 2005, around the same time as Mr. Yon. A key difference is that we work with *local* reporters, not foreigners.
We also do not work with the military and avoid embedded reporting, preferring to report about the perspective of local civilians from within their communities. I’m sure you can see how this is worth funding *in addition* to Mr. Yon’s work.
4 Shlok Vaidya’s Thinking » Independent Media in Afghanistan // Sep 23, 2009 at 12:16 pm
[...] trying to bootstrap independent media in Afghanistan. Help him [...]
5 Michael Hancock // Sep 23, 2009 at 12:24 pm
I’ll embed the Chip In over at peaceclog – and I put my money where my mouth is! Best of luck!
6 Support independent journalism « Peaceclog // Sep 23, 2009 at 12:40 pm
[...] here’s one charity to which I’m giving money, and gladly. Here’s a blurb that should tell what you need [...]
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