Female journalists resign from Tolo; protests over media restrictions and the network's change in approach increase

Kabul Times News | Kabul

A number of female employees and journalists of Tolo News Network have resigned from their work with the network in protest of working conditions and what they say is the media's change in approach to covering events in Afghanistan.

On Friday, August 21, a female Tolo employee officially announced the end of her work with the media by posting a message on social media and spoke about her five-year experience working in difficult conditions.

In part of her message, she wrote: "I have studied up to the master's level and with thousands of hopes wanted to become the voice of the girls of my land and my identity; but during these five years, I have endured so much pain that when I think about it, my bones burn."

The female employee added that she can no longer continue working with Tolo and from now on, like many other girls, she will have to stay at home.

The resignation comes at a time when Tolo’s coverage of some political and security events, including the use of terms to describe Taliban opponents and the language used to introduce Taliban officials, has faced criticism in cyberspace and among some media activists in recent days.

In her message, the resigned Tolo employee also expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation and said that as a girl, she has only been able to work to this extent to preserve the position and voice of women in the media.

She concluded by writing: “Finally, I complain to God about all those who caused this situation.”

If similar cases are confirmed by other Tolo employees, the resignation of this female employee could be a sign of increasing dissatisfaction among some of the media’s employees and the increasingly difficult conditions for women to work in Afghan media.

Kabul Times News will try to obtain the views of Tolo Network officials on the recent resignations and the allegations made in this report.