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MASS MEDIA TRANSFORMATION AFTER MARCH EVENTS IN KYRGYZSTAN Anisa Borubaeva CENTRAL ASIA - CAUCASUS ANALYST Wednesday / September 07, 2005 Abstract: The democratic revolution in Kyrgyzstan brought down its first president Askar Akayev. In the run up to the presidential election, the Acting Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiev promised to press forward with democratic initiatives in the country. As far as privatization of mass media goes, the election process exposed the government’s superficial commitment to reform. Worse, journalists are increasingly formed into a pro-government bloc. Although the credit of popular trust in the newly elected president has not been exhausted yet, the failure to put promises into practice casts doubt on the future of democratic transformation in Kyrgyzstan. Full text available at: http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=3627

INTERNET GAINS TRUST AMONG NEWS CONSUMERS. RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 9, No. 179, Part I, 21 September 2005 Asked in a recent pollconducted by ROMIR, some 44 percent of respondents named nationaltelevision stations as their most trusted source of information, lenta.ru reported on 20 September. National television was the mostpopular response. The second most popular choice, "I don't trust anyof these choices," was selected by 18 percent. Five percent said theytrust information they get from the Internet, while only 3 percentsaid they trust regional television and national newspapers the most.The poll was conducted among 1,600 respondents. Among the respondentsliving in cities with more than a 1 million people, the Internet'srating rose to 8-9 percent. Those between the ages of 18 and 34 andpeople with higher education also selected the Internet as a trustedinformation source more often than other groups. The Internet'srating rose since polls conducted in 2003 and 2004, when an analogousquestion was asked. In those polls only 2 percent of respondents saidthey considered the Internet their most trusted source. Since thattime, trust in national television has risen, while confidence incentral newspapers has fallen. JAC

UZBEK COURT SUSPENDS U.S. EXCHANGE ORGANIZATION FOR SIX MONTHS. RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 9, No. 174, September 14, 2005. Acivil court in Tashkent ruled on 12 September to suspend for sixmonths the activities of U.S.-based exchange organization IREX,RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reported. The court argued that IREX hadengaged in activities and pursued goals not covered by theorganization's charter. In a press release published on IREX'swebsite on 13 September, President Mark G. Pomar stated, "Suspendingthe activities of IREX in Uzbekistan is an unfortunate step that willimpede the development of Uzbek civil society and the strengtheningof higher education." The press release called the move "part of abroader trend by the Uzbek government to close down bothinternational and local nongovernmental organizations." Otherinternational organizations that have been forced by court decisionsto curtail or end their operations in Uzbekistan include the OpenSociety Institute (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 April 2004) and, onlydays ago, Internews (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 September 2005). DK