A former Afghan “holy warrior” who became a Wall Street Journal reporter in America has returned to Kabul under a USAID grant to head up a media program bringing millions of Afghans news of development and progress.

Masood Farivar, 40, has become the host of the popular talk show that is reaching some 8 million people across the country daily out of Kabul and giving many of them their first chance to hear callers voicing their own opinions.

He returned to Kabul in 2007 to train Afghan journalists, including those with Pajhwok, the Afghan wire service that is providing most of the Dari and Pashtu language news reports disseminated by newspapers, radio, and television.

Later, Internews, a USAIDfunded media training NGO, asked him to host Salam Watandar, which means “Hello Countryman.”

“This has become the flagship program—the NPR of Afghanistan— producing quality news programs six hours each day,” said Farivar in an interview with FrontLines.

The show is sent by satellite to radio stations around Afghanistan and employs nearly 40 Afghan technicians, engineers, editors, and reporters, including 11 reporters out in the provinces.

Through Internews, USAID provides each station with technical equipment, staff training, and—for the first six months of operation—salaries and even fuel to run generators. After that, financial support comes from ads.

Some 70 percent of the ads are public service announcements paid for by NGOs, the United Nations, and other non-profit groups.

U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry was interviewed at the Salam Watandar studio and had an extensive tour of the facilities.

“We do news, current affairs, and also entertainment that people need. One of the most popular shows is a call-in satirical show hosted by a popular comedian.

“Our focus is on the provincial audience—people with little or no education and little access to information.”

The programs are bilingual, mixing in callers and hosts speaking both Dari and Pashtu.

Asked about press freedom, Farivar said “I am optimistic. There are problems but I don’t think freedom of the press is under attack.”

Even though in the past two years Afghanistan’s security situation has deteriorated, Farivar said: “I came to believe that what can help is small and long term investment in media—starting to teach people in the villages about democracy will have impact.”

He said that when he travels around the country and asks radio managers what impact they have, they say they are educating the public on their rights.

“Already we see results,” said Farivar. “Human rights and civil society and rule of law have entered the national vocabulary.”

Farivar details how he made the journey from Afghan fighter to Harvard scholar to journalist in his book Confessions of a Mullah Warrior. — B.B. .

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Original article on USAID web site