In Tajikistan, just as in all CIS countries, the disintegration of the USSR resulting in the formation of the new independent states and dictating a necessity of democratic transformation told in the mostly direct way on the changes in the activities of mass media. Especially favorable for the free development of the press turned out to be the situation in Russia and Kazakhstan where the tempos of the evolution of reforms were higher than in other countries. Under the conditions of the reforms being carried out not of low importance was the fact with what persistence the journalists in these countries achieved the reform of the law system of the society and thus defended democratic freedoms, creation of a civil society. If in Russia due to the political struggle spread between the political parties and social movements whose ideas were expressed by the multipolar press the powers were unable to undertake measures which would confine the activities of mass media, in Kazakhstan the democratic and free press from the very beginning managed to put itself and after two-three years of expiry its position became unshakable. The events in four other Central Asian countries were developing on a somewhat different scenario. In Turkmenistan which by the president of the country Saparmurad Niyazov is referred to the category of states, which chose market economy nothing new at all has occurred in the life of MM. The retainment of the authoritarian regime in the country was the primary impediment on the way of a free development of the press. And now when since the time of the commencement of reforms the whole decade has ensued, in Turkmenistan the existing authoritarian initiation and censorship don't permit MM to evolve freely. The press in Kyrgyzstan can be called more or less free as due to the democratic convictions of the head of the state and his spiritual proximity with artistic intellectuals, with journalists in particular, MM in the beginning of 90ies enjoyed large availability for a free democratic development. However, to the middle of the 90ies to the issue of the aggravation of the inner-political struggle the opponents for the president's seat, for the places in the parliament of the country used such measures that reflected on mass media activities as well. In this republic they started speaking about exerting pressure on the free press, which functioned as a holding factor on the way of mass media development. The like situation in the realm of MM has been now in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Though in both countries there is a normal law base for a free development of the printed press, there exists a secret censorship being expressed differently in each country: in Tajikistan it is established by journalists themselves, in Uzbekistan-by the powers. In both cases there is one reason, that of fright. If the Tajik journalists are afraid of terror, the Uzbek ones - of repressions on the part of the powers. The origins of this censorship and fright are the events of the early 90ies in Tajikistan, which affected the development of the situation in Uzbekistan as well.
The history of independent mass media in our country can be traced a little bit more back than that one of the new independent Tajikistan itself, i.e. in the final years of the USSR existence when they announced a reform of the political system in the Great Empire. It was at the end of the 80ies when the first independent private editions sprang up in the republic. However, lack of the experience of existing within the frames of a law-abiding society led to such a situation that many independent mass media acted as servants of definite political forces and groups. Journalists playing up to the ambitions of politicians and to those of their own had begun to ignore the norms and principles of journalism thus causing withstanding of political forces with multithousand meetings, which as a result eventuated into the civil war. It was the effect of the war, which resulted into the hunt after journalists, enunciated in the first half of the 90ies. The events in Russia in the period of its early independence when president Yeltsin governed the country resembled in much a scenario a war had been laid in. Russia was on the verge of a civil war not once. These were the October events of 1993 and the shooting of the White House by president Yeltsin and the first stage of the Chechen war. But every time the powers managed to nip in the bud the attempts of a wide spread of disorders. And here not to a small extent Russia should be grateful to the multimillion army of its MM employees who in the long run have valued the obtained democratic freedom more that their own ambitions and likings. In Tajikistan at the beginning of the 90ies the state remained factually without MM support. Underrating the role of mass media and the reluctance of the leadership of the republic to carry out radical reforms and at the same time the displayed irresoluteness in reference to the instigators of disorders were just those factors which brought to national catastrophe of which the aftereffects haven't been liquidated up till now. The terroristic acts which were going on up to the recent period being targeted against the well-known representatives of intellectuals, journalists, state and political figures, dissemination of drugs and a rise of narcobusiness in the country - these are just those problems which were engendered by the civil war. And the abovementioned censorship established in Tajikistan by the journalists themselves for themselves and which started to be called self-censorship has been also the aftereffect of this war. The echo of the war, which had resounded over Uzbekistan, resulted in this country as well the processes, which might have entailed large-scale tumults in this country. The powers of Uzbekistan resorted to tight repressive measures in reference to the population, especially against spiritual leaders and disciples of the Islamic movement, journalists. Namely the repressive measures of a wide range made the journalists of Uzbekistan follow the example of their Tajik colleagues. However, the farther the both countries retire from the civil war in Tajikistan, the more the situation in both states is stabilized and mass media are more actively involved into social and political life. The conditions for the development of mass media are improving.
It is the second half of the 90ies which in Tajikistan is considered an inception of the new stage in the development of independent MM, when after many years of withstanding the political forces in the country attained concord and there was singed the so-called Concordance on peace and consent. The independent MM of Northern Tajikistan should be divided into printed editions - newspapers, magazines, informational heralds, monthly bulletins and electronic mass media - urban and rural radios and televisions. Newspapers "Sughd", "Corvoni Umed", "Tojikoni dunyo" published in the towns of Khujand and Istaravshan are issued regularly enjoying their circle of readers. "Sughd" newspaper edited under the assistance of OSCE is more popular and, naturally, more readable. "Sughd" elucidating the economic, political and social life of Northern Tajikistan in distinction to state MM publishes articles and commentaries of their own correspondents and supernumerary authors who analyze the events taking place in the life of the society more freely, professionally and openly. And, may be, that is just the thing which attracts the reader. As for contents, unfortunately today one can't single out especially any editions, which might have changed the informational atmosphere of the last years in the northern region of the country. In Sughd viloyat there is also the communist newspaper "Etikod" (faith), the printed edition of the communists of Istaravshan, Ghanchi, Zafarabad and Matcha districts - the newspaper "Zahmatkash" (laborer), the printed edition of the social movement of the unity and renaissance of Tajikistan "Shulai Umed" (flame of hope), the newspaper "Navoi dil" (melody of heart) of which the institutor is Djurabek Murodov, Honored Artist. Due to the absence of resources the independent newspapers "Oryono", "Mirob", "Kadriyat" and "Vostochny bazar" ceased their existence.
The information-analytical agency "Varorud" which sprang up in the informative space is for today the only independent mass media in its own kind, which has been functioning on the territory of the Ferghana valley. Throughout a year IAA "Varorud" is editing an informational herald (chain of events) with twice-a-week recurrence and a monthly bulletin "Varorud". "Varorud" editions are in Russian and English. Except a printed variant "Varorud" has also an electronic version sent to different countries of the world. IAA "Varorud" carries out its activity being supported by OSCE grant. Namely due to the observance of the mostly important requirements of the informative genre of journalism - operativeness, objectiveness and authenticity of data and information the agency has achieved recognition in a short period of time and now, in the opinion of readers and experts has to considerable extent filled the informational vacuum of Northern Tajikistan.
Alongside with the printed editions of IAA "Varorud" "Karn" - Khujand Civil Society Support Center (Counterpart Consortium); "Ittifok" - "Ittifok" NGO and "Razvitiye" (development) - Nau APPR informational bulletins are published in Sughd viloyat. These bulletins may seemingly not enjoy an attention of a wide audience of readers because of dwelling on the themes of purely specific domains.
Today only two magazines are edited in Sughd viloyat. It is the magazine "Saikhoon" - a published edition of the association of the writers of the viloyat and the scientific-social magazine "Ehyoi Ajam" whose institutor is one of the local NGOs.
The only independent radio station is radio "Tiroz". By its appearing the listeners of Sughd viloyat got an opportunity to listen considerably interesting entertaining programs. Undoubtedly radio "Tiroz" copes with the objectives of musical and entertaining character imitating the modern popular radio program "Europe". In spite of entertaining character of radio programs, the journalists of radio "Tiroz" consistently carry out a search for creating programs of more complicated genre - information. However paradoxical it may seem, it is the independent electronic network of mass media, which works more actively in Northern Tajikistan. This activeness surpasses even the capital - Dushanbe. It is imputed to the fact that many television canals of urban and rural importance opened in the early years of the independence of Tajikistan managed to retain themselves and now they have a real availability in case they get good sources of financing to achieve a high level of development. Only in order to attract investors and grant donators it is necessary to qualitatively recast both work and thinking or to find and select people with new outlook and attitude to creative activity. Now such a perspective exists really with radio "Tiroz", television studios "SM-1", "Asia", "Ustrushan", "Gulyakandoz", "Guli bodom" and "Anis"; the TV studio "Kurushkada" having been created the other day. Analyzing the activity of the work of the local telecanals one can come to the conclusion that still listeners and spectators find more information in their programs than in printed editions. Though the censorship we mentioned about above is more inherent in all these mass media, still they fill the informational vacuum in the north of the republic by their daily telecasts. In distinction to printed editions the local telecanals daily report to their spectators about the events of local scales, they also use videomaterials of the leading telecanals telling about the situation in the republic and in the world upon the whole. Due to a poor logistic base and inadequate experience of employees the abovementioned tele-networks are frequently compelled to fill the air with old concert programs and reiterations of low-standard movies and documentary films. For rational usage of the airtime these tele-networks should raise the professional level of their workers. By the way, the question concerned with staffing independent magazines, radios and tele-networks with professional employees is actual now all over Tajikistan. Transition to market economy, along with other representatives of social groups of our society caught unawares-artistic organizations, mass media in particular, which have been adapting themselves to new circumstances with great difficulty. The peculiarity of the situation lies in the fact that the newspapers and magazines edited today are also a sort of commodity but not many people have managed to comprehend it. Hence miscalculations in studying the demands in the market of printed and electronic information that hinders with the formation of mass media in economic respect. Thereupon, today there is urgency in the intensification of the work related to an issue of the contestable periodic press, TV and radio programs. Because in future only an organization of work with taking into account the requirements of the market will permit them to survive under the market economy circumstances. If to contemplate the issue of the development of independent MM under the angle of further prospects, a benefit of journalists themselves and other category of their employees, then it is advertising activity which is a great reserve, but for the time being having no good prerequisites in the surroundings of Tajikistan. It is connected with the level of economy development upon the whole, as the number of enterprises needing in their goods being advertised is limited.
Mass media are able to change the situation shaped only in they liberate themselves form censorship, be braver in finding drawbacks and announcing an irreconcilable war to the negative phenomena for the society. Only a creation of an atmosphere of constructive criticism on the base of exact observance of laws can instigate officials for exposure and start promoting openness of the society. For this MM, first of all, should achieve high professionalism of journalists being competent of the state laws. Because under the conditions of democracy one of the primary criteria of work, to whatever field it may pertain, should become juridical education which will inspire confidence in a settlement of any conflict leaning on the law. And in order to enjoy the availability of raising a question under the angle of the law, MM ought to be liberated form the influence of political and financial groups and to commence to work being guided exclusively by the principles of journalism.