Pajhwok Afghan News Explained

Pajhwok Afghan News
Type:	Independent news agency
Headquarters:	Kabul, Afghanistan
Language:	English, Dari, Pashto
Founded:	2003
Founder:	Danish Karokhel
Owner:	Danish Karokhel^[1]
Motto:	Reflecting the Truth
Area:	Afghanistan
Key People:	Danish Karokhel
Launch Date:	March 2004

Pajhwok Afghan News (Pushto; Pashto: پژواک خبري اژانس) (آژانس خبرى پژواک) is Afghanistan's largest independent news agency with its headquarters in Kabul.^{[2] [3] [4]} In addition to 24-hour general news reporting, it also publishes special investigative reports about important topics relating to Afghanistan, including political corruption.^{[5] [6] [7]} The agency has eight regional bureaus and a nationwide network of reporters and correspondents. Pajhwok delivers an average daily output of three dozen stories in English, Pashto and Dari languages. The news agency also provides photographs, video footage and audio clips to international wire agencies, televisions and radio stations.^[8]

Owned and operated entirely by Afghans, Pajhwok Afghan News claims to have no political affiliations.^[8] Its founder and director is Danish Karokhel. Pajhwok is a Pashto word^[9] meaning reflection or echo in both Pashto and Dari.^{[8] [10]}

Pajhwok staff and awards

Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN) has received many national and international press awards in the last two decades.^[11] These include:

• PAN's director Danish Karokhel won the 2008 CPJ International Press Freedom Award.
• PAN's reporter Weeda Baraki won the best feature-writing award in 2013.^[12]
• PAN's journalist Fayyaz Umari won the best photojournalist award in 2016.^[13]
• PAN's reporters Bashir Ahmad Naadim, Zirak Fahim and Bismillah Pashtunmal won Voice of America media awards in 2018.^[14]
• PAN's reporter Navid Ahmad Barakzai won "journalist of the year award" in 2019.^[15]
• PAN won Media & Mission of Anti-Corruption award in March 2021.^[16]
• PAN's editor Abasin Zaheer became a recipient of a UNDP award in December 2021.^[17]

See also

• Media of Afghanistan

Notes and References

1. Web site: Danish Karokhel . January 2014 . Reporters Without Borders . 10 July 2021.
2. Book: Committee to Protect Journalists. Attacks on the Press in 2008: A Worldwide Survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists. 10 July 2021. 2009. Committee to Protect Journalists. 978-0-944823-28-6. 233.
3. Web site: Unlikely Stories, or the Making of an Afghan News Agency . Pulitzer Center . 10 July 2021 . 11 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210711195822/https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/unlikely-stories-or-making-afghan-news-agency . dead .
4. Book: Peter Eichstaedt. First Kill Your Family: Child Soldiers of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army. February 2009. Chicago Review Press. 978-1-56976-260-8. 14–.
5. News: MEHWAR: Smuggling of Ventilators Discussed . TOLOnews . June 23, 2020 . 2022-07-20.
6. News: Taliban Controls 52% of Territory in Afghanistan: Survey . TOLOnews . February 13, 2021 . 2022-07-20.
7. News: RSF Honors Afghan Female Reporter For 'Courageous Journalism' . TOLOnews . June 15, 2020 . 2022-07-20.
8. https://www.pajhwok.com/en/about-us About us
9. https://www.qamosona.com
10. Web site: Danish Karokhel and Farida Nekzad, Director and Deputy Director, Pajhwok Afghan News . . 10 July 2021.
11. News: Book titled Professional Journalism launched . 7 January 2015 . Tanha . Mohammad Gul .
12. News: Journalists receive NAI awards . 5 May 2013 . Khitab . Hassan .
13. News: Pajhwok staffer wins best photojournalist award . 5 May 2016 . Khitab . Hassan .
14. News: Pajhwok reporters win all 3 VoA media awards . 7 September 2018 . Kakar . Javed Hamim .
15. News: Pajhwok reporter Barakzai wins 'Journalist of the Year award' . 18 March 2019 . Salehi . Zarghona .
16. News: Pajhwok wins Media & Mission of Anti-Corruption award . 18 March 2021 . Hasrat . Ahmad Sohaib .
17. News: Pajhwok editor among winners of anti-graft award . 9 December 2021 . Sail . Abdul Raqeeb .