TojNews

TojNews (also styled as the TojNews National Information Agency) is an independent news agency in Tajikistan. It was founded in September 2009 as a project of the non-governmental organization Indem (Informatics for Democracy and National Progress), which also publishes the weekly newspaper Spasenie. The agency was created to supply news products not only to other media outlets but also directly to ordinary users, positioning itself as a domestic alternative in Tajikistan's information market. Its chairman, Saimuddin Dustov, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tajik service that the TojNews website had been in testing for more than two months before its public launch. TojNews operates as a digital-first news provider, publishing reporting and news products through its website. Its editorial focus is general national and regional news for a Tajik audience, and it has been associated with independent journalism in a media environment where outlets linked to Indem have reported pressure from state authorities. The agency's online presence has repeatedly been a point of contention: access to the TojNews site inside Tajikistan was blocked on 29 September 2010 on the instruction of Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Bek Zukhurov. On 14 November 2016, the news agency Asia-Plus reported that TojNews had suspended its online operations by decision of the founding assembly of the public organization Indem. Some media reports linked the suspension to strong pressure on TojNews and the weekly Spasenie, both part of Indem. The agency remained offline for roughly 18 months. On 3 May 2018, World Press Freedom Day, TojNews announced that it would resume work after its forced hiatus. At that time its website reportedly remained blocked. TojNews is therefore best understood as a small but symbolically significant independent Tajik media brand whose history reflects the broader pressures on independent journalism in the country. It is owned and governed by the NGO Indem rather than by a commercial media group, and it is not a listed company.

TojNews was established in September 2009 as a new project of the Tajik non-governmental organization Indem (Informatics for Democracy and National Progress), which also published the weekly newspaper Spasenie. The agency was conceived as a national information agency that would produce a range of news products for other media outlets as well as for ordinary users, a model that distinguished it from wire services aimed only at professional subscribers. In an interview with the Tajik service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Indem chairman Saimuddin Dustov said the TojNews website had been in a testing phase for more than two months before its launch. A Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report on the founding of the new Tojnews agency was published on 20 September 2009. The agency's early years were marked by friction with the authorities. On 29 September 2010, access to the TojNews website inside Tajikistan was blocked on the instruction of Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Bek Zukhurov. The block became a lasting feature of the outlet's operating environment. On 14 November 2016, the news agency Asia-Plus reported that TojNews had suspended its online activity by decision of the founding assembly of the public organization Indem. Some media reports stated that TojNews and the weekly Spasenie, both part of Indem, had faced strong pressure from state authorities. The suspension left the agency dormant for about 18 months. On 3 May 2018, World Press Freedom Day, TojNews decided to resume its work after the forced hiatus. According to the available account, the agency's website remained blocked at that time. The trajectory of TojNews — founding by an NGO, a state-ordered block, a suspension attributed in some reports to official pressure, and a relaunch on World Press Freedom Day — has made it a frequently cited example of the difficulties facing independent media in Tajikistan. The agency is owned and governed by Indem rather than by a commercial or state media group, and it is not publicly listed.

• TojNews is founded as a project of the NGO Indem in Tajikistan.

• Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports on the founding of the new Tojnews agency.

• Access to the TojNews website in Tajikistan is blocked by order of Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Bek Zukhurov.

• Asia-Plus reports that TojNews suspended its online operations by decision of the founding assembly of Indem.

• On World Press Freedom Day, TojNews announces it will resume work after an 18-month forced hiatus.

Independent, NGO-owned national news agency serving both media outlets and general users in Tajikistan.

• TojNews news website (tojnews.org)

  The agency's online news platform, which has been subject to blocking inside Tajikistan.

• News products for media outlets and general users

  A range of news products intended both for other media and for ordinary users, a distinguishing feature of the project.

• Website blocking

• Suspension attributed to official pressure

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• Suspension of online operationsOther

• Resumption of workOther

1. 1TojNews — Wikipedia (Russian)ru.wikipedia.org
2. 2TojNews official websitetojnews.org
3. 3Wikidata entry Q13200812wikidata.org