Media officials emphasize strengthening the professional knowledge of journalists/Journalists’ Support Fund inaugurated

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: During a ceremony held today, Monday, July 14, at the initiative of Bakhtar University and attended by heads of media institutions, university professors and students, the Financial and Educational Support Fund for Journalists was officially launched.

 

Referring to the economic problems of journalists, university professor Mohammad Hanif Farzan said: “Financial problems are one of the most important obstacles to the professional activities of journalists in Afghanistan.” He added that for this reason, this fund was created to support activists in the field of information to meet some of their financial needs.

 

Farzan also stated that in addition to financial support, this fund also provides an opportunity to improve the professional knowledge of journalists, and journalists who wish to continue their studies in journalism can be recruited at Bakhtar University for free through this fund.

 

The Journalists Support Fund is financed by monthly donations from professors, students, and part of the university budget. Financial donations are donated to journalists in need on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, after consulting with media institutions, or allocated for their education expenses.

 

Farzan also announced the university's readiness to provide specialized training in various fields of journalism, including environmental, medical, sports, and other media branches.

 

Zabihullah Sadat, a journalist present at the meeting, welcomed the launch of this fund and considered it an effective step towards strengthening the journalism profession. Referring to the key role of journalists in the front line of information, he said: “Journalists are always at the forefront of information dissemination and at the same time they are highly vulnerable.” Sadat added that although many slogans have been given in the past in support of journalists, now a practical step has been taken.

 

He described this measure as good and emphasized that in addition to financial support, educational support is also necessary, because journalists today need this assistance more than ever before in order to be able to fulfill their mission well in the face of existing challenges.

 

Abdul Qadeem Viar, Chairman of the Committee for the Safety of Journalists, also stated at the meeting that journalism is not only a duty, but also a passion and responsibility that has gained increasing importance with the expansion of visual, audio and other forms of media. He added that public trust and credibility depend on the media in many matters, and journalists who work impartially and responsibly play a vital role in maintaining this trust.

 

Regarding the Journalists Support Fund, Viar said that the main focus of this fund should be on resolving the professional and academic problems of journalists and improving their work standards.

 

Hojatullah Mujadedi, head of the Afghan Independent Journalists Union, considered the greatest challenge in the field of journalism to be the low professional capacity of journalists and emphasized that the financial support fund should focus more on increasing the knowledge and professional capabilities of journalists.

 

While fully supporting the Afghan Independent Journalists Union for this project, Mujadedi once again emphasized the need to strengthen the specialized and professional training of the country's media activists.