Influence of Online Publications in the Decision-Making Process

Many representatives of governmental structures, opposition, NGOs and the media tend to believe that information, published in local and foreign online journals, promote the adoption important decisions at different levels of state power.

Bakyt Beshimov, a member of Jogorku Kenesh from the SDPK faction, described the influence of online publications in the social and political life, including the decision-making process, with the following words: “The speed of information delivery and its interpretation by the Internet media either raise the temperature or cool the fervor.”

This is primarily because most readers of these Internet publications are the decision-makers, or the people involved in that process or, those lobbying for decisions and  are focused on specific results.

Alikbek Djekshenkulov, the coordinator of the movement “For Justice,” believes that online journalism has a great impact on political developments in the country because, according to him, “Kyrgyzstan’s political elite begins every morning, reviewing the Internet news.”

“A striking example of the public resonance caused by online publications recently, was the publications about the scandal with Klara Kabilova. The state authorities blocked the newspapers, but thanks to online publications, the world learned about this situation. Online publications opened the way for this information,” said Alikbek Dzhekshenkulov.

However, according to some Parliament members, the readers of Internet publications, who are mostly involved in political circles and the media, often feel pressure from the side of political strategists who manipulate various facts, analysis and figures.

 “I do not deny the fact that political strategists often use the Kyrgyz Internet space. For example, when something happens, it is always commented by some political technologists, supporting some policy, opposition or the government. It depends on the activity of each political camp. Neutral position is desirable but hardly feasible,” believes Kabai Karabekov, a Parliament member from the faction of “Ak Zhol.”

The use of online publications by political strategists as the most popular source of information leakage may be explained by a strong demand for alternative and timely information. This is because the information, which is hardly used by traditional media, can be quickly published on the websites.

According to Sultan Raev, the Minister of Culture and Information of KR, politicians today, take advantage of Internet sites to shape public opinion.

“Moreover, the number of those who use Internet websites for these goals has increased. Politicians are well aware that they would lose much if they ignored the potential of online journalism. First of all, they would end up in an information vacuum themselves, while, as you know, ‘who owns the information, owns the world’”, said Raev.

Emil Aliev, the leader of the “Ar-Namys” party, shares the same point of view. He believes that “online publications today represent such a powerful tool for shaping public opinion that all Kyrgyz politicians have to take them into account.”

An opposition activist, Alikbek Djekshenkulov, said that the members of the movement “For Justice” always answer the questions of online journalists with great interest and thus, inform the population of their alternative view. In addition, according to Djekshenkulov, he and his colleagues regularly provide information on the activities of the Public parliament and the movement of “For Justice” on the International Agency for Development and Policy website.

 “During the day, I personally view the sites of news agencies and Internet editions more than once, and I can say that they work faster than newspapers and magazines,” concluded Jekshenkulov.

“In general, the Internet space in Kyrgyzstan is of the greatest interest to Parliament members, opposition leaders, political scientists and political strategists, i.e. for those, who are involved in politics and decision making. In the Jogorku Kenesh, up to 90 percent of the deputies receive daily information from Internet sites. They either review the websites themselves every morning or read the news selected by their assistants,” expressed his view Alisher Mamasaliev, a member of the Jogorku Kenesh from the “Ak Jol” faction. “Thanks to the speed of Internet sites, there is no politician today in Kyrgyzstan, who would not use their information. I will say more. Politicians often learn of new personnel reshuffles in the Government from the news agencies, many of which have their own sources of information in the Government House, the Parliament and opposition circles.”

Having their own sources of information, politicians and representatives of the media still continually follow the latest updates from analytical websites. This is, first of all, due to the fact that the online publications offer good conditions for pluralistic opinions, which are not represented in most Kyrgyz traditional media. Online publications, enjoying more freedom, according to the experts, remain one of the achievements of Kyrgyzstan’s democracy.

 “Currently, Kyrgyzstan is actively using the Internet as an area for information battle between different political factions. Reading the opinions of both political partners and opponents, politicians lead an Internet dialogue with each other. Thus, the founders of the Internet sites and the heads of news agencies have long become intermediaries between them,” said Mamasaliev, considering the global network an effective platform for debate and polemics.

“Thanks to the Internet, we get information on the steps made by the President, Government and Parliament. Taking into account this information, we formulate our views and develop a plan for further actions. The information factor is crucial to policy building,” said Djekshenkulov.

According to Tayirbek Sarpashev, the leader of the “Turan” party, during his work in the Parliament, he regularly used the Internet to get information in order to know the views of other politicians and experts. After reviewing all the information he would make his own decisions.

Politicians bring many examples of how information, posted online, influences the process of decision-making. According to Roza Otunbayeva, a Parliament member, this reflects the fact that the political elite of the country is also formed and developed under the influence of online publications:

“If there were no Internet publications in the country, we wouldn’t have such a political elite. They are an important source of information, and thanks to the Internet, we know the views of each other. Therefore, online publications play a great role in the life of our state.”

According to Tattu Mambetalieva, the director of the “Civil Initiative of Internet Policy” (CIIP) Public Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, the regular attempts to regulate the content of online publications are a vivid example of their great influence on the decision-making process.

“Legislative initiatives, aimed at regulating the content of online publications, show that they have an influence on the process of political decision-making.”

Additional attention should be paid to the role of informational web resources in the work of non-governmental organizations, many of which believe that it is the only platform where one may freely express their views and establish contact with the population.

Aziza Abdirasulova, the well-known human rights activist who is the head of the center “Kylym Shamy” believes that “The Internet media may be called one of the main achievements in the field of freedom of speech, not only in Kyrgyzstan, but throughout the world. Today, the Internet is one of the few platforms where we can freely express our opinions.”

Aziza Abdirasulova drew attention to the fact that young citizens, as well as politicians and civil servants, have access to the information on the Internet. In this connection, she expressed the view that “information agencies in Kyrgyzstan directly affect the course of political events and political decisions in the country.”

“I would like to clarify that Internet sites do not aim at influencing the political life, they only provide information. However, the experts read the comments on different issues and take them into account,” noted Abdirasulova. “Sometimes the state authorities do not take the decisions expected by the public. So, it is very important for them to be aware of what is published in the online media.”

“We cannot imagine the activities of human rights organizations in Kyrgyzstan without the Internet media. For human rights activists, online media is a common platform where we discuss the events and express our views. Most newspapers are published once a week, and the television news have too little time to cover the entire amount of information from the events of the day. In its turn, Internet media provide a full overview of events from different sides,” said Abdirasulova. She also noted that, like many other human rights activists, she checks her e-mail inbox and browses the websites of news agencies every morning.

According to Abdirasulova, the information on changes in Kyrgyz legislation, as well as the decisions taken by governmental officials, are of particular interest to human rights activists.

The leader of “Kylym Shamy” said that human rights defenders might often use the information, published by the Internet media, as evidence of specific facts.

“Today it is a matter of one’s professionalism, whether to use the Internet as a source of information or not. For example, in human rights activities, this kind of ignorance would negatively affect the work. Of course, high state officials cannot spend much time for daily Internet browsing, but their advisers and assistants should fully implement their work and provide their bosses with the information published online,” said Abdirasulova.

Dinara Oshurahunova, the leader of “For Democracy and Civil Society” Coalition, believes that, today, online media also serves as a lobbying tool. According to her, by placing some information on the websites of leading online publications, one can draw public attention to an issue, collect the necessary data, and know the public opinion.

“Our organization was the first to understand the potential of Internet sites. It began to work closely with online news agencies. The Internet is a large field for lobbying.  Today, the news and analytical websites are the most effective resource for shaping public opinion,” said Oshurahunova.

At the same time, the human rights activist shared her view that, while remaining the most progressive resource for shaping public opinion, online publications are unable to influence the process of governmental decision-making.

“Earlier it was possible, as they listened to us and read our comments. Today, however, all our efforts to lobby certain drafts or decisions, including efforts through online publications, have failed. This is not because the Internet media does not work well or does not shape public opinion any longer. They, just like all other lobbying tools, are irrelevant in a society where legislators strictly follow someone's orders and do not listen to others. They are not interested in public opinion. I am confident that many Parliament members do not analyze public opinion and do not read online publications and newspapers, i.e. they do not use these resources to collect the data on public opinion,” explained Oshurahunova.

”All attempts to influence the decision-making process concerning the laws on peaceful meetings, on television and radio, on “strategic sites,” on energy and others have failed. Nongovernmental organizations, using online resources, were unable to lobby their proposals,” said Dinara Oshurahunova. She also added that she did not cease to use the Internet community during big campaigns. As a positive example of her work with Internet sites, she mentioned the campaign to collect signatures of the representatives of civil society, supporting the peaceful settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. After the “appeal to non-governmental organizations,” published on many Internet sites, the campaign organizers received many comments, letters of support and thousands of signatures from around the world.

Marat Tokoev, the chief of the public association “Journalists,” also believes that, despite everything, websites remain the only platform for conducting large-scale campaigns involving the public in Kyrgyzstan and abroad. Having three of his own websites, the public association “Journalists,” pays great attention to the online component of its activities.

“Information agencies, working online, always very quickly respond to our appeals, letters or other information provided. Thus, they support our campaigns and give us a platform for it,” expressed Tokoev.

The representatives of online publications in Kyrgyzstan are convinced that their role in decision-making has been increasing. They also brought their own examples of how they influenced some decisions or drew the attention of decision-makers to a problem.

“Online publications in Kyrgyzstan are getting more influential and sometimes play a more important role in informing the public. They are supported by more and more people wishing to obtain information quickly and sometimes, in real time. Of course, the news websites do affect public consciousness. Today, people are inclined to believe us more than other types of media,” said Ryspek Toktonaliev, a correspondent and an editor of the “Svodka” [“Summary”] website under the ” Akipress” news agency.

As an example, Toktonaliev mentioned the case when Felix Kulov, while being the Prime Minister, refused the post of chairman of the “Ar-Namys” party, when he refered to the law which forbade governmental officials to be a member of a political party.

“A former editor-in-chief of our edition wrote an analysis, which contained criticism of Felix Kulov, who intended to head the party. The article raised serious arguments against the intention of the Prime Minister. This, in my opinion, served as a warning signal to Kulov, because immediately after the article’s publication, he announced that he suspended himself from the post of the party’s chairman,” told the journalist.

The editor-in-chief of the information agency “24.kg,” Anton Lymar, brought an example of the work of his media organization: “One of the most striking recent examples of how our agency was able to cause great public resonance and draw attention to the decision-making process was the material on the flour containing a dangerous substance of melamine, imported from China. When we published an article on the contaminated flour and all the possible consequences of its consumption, the Government reacted immediately.  This led to discussions and check-ups, and the relevant ministries had to justify themselves. Ordinary citizens also actively reacted to this information. We have fulfilled our role - we informed the public. There were responses from the side of decision-makers, but I do not know whether anything would change or not.”

The editor-in-chief of the online edition “Tazar,” Elmira Toktogulova, also shared her vision of the problem. According to her, “Tazar” managed to describe, in detail, the topic of Islamic financing principles for which the Ministry of Finance, the National Bank, commercial banks, foreign journalists and researchers thanked “Tazar.” However, she admitted that “Tazar” still does not have the same influence on decision-making as some major newspapers have.

“I think, this is due to the lack of time and human resources, and also because of a relatively smooth and quiet character of our articles, compared with other publications. But in the nearest future, we certainly would like to influence the decision-making process more. This requires more of our own material, exclusive journalistic work, and our own editorial policy,” considered Elmira Toktogulova.

Influence of the Online Media in the Regions

The access to the Internet for the people in the regions remains one of the most topical problems in Kyrgyzstan. According to the data of a social research project, held in April 2007 by the ''Civil Initiative on Internet Policy'' among the different segments of the population in remote areas of Kyrgyzstan, most respondents never used the Internet and e-mail. The main reason behind this was the inability to use the Internet and e-mail and the lack of access to online resources.

“The number of Internet users in Kyrgyzstan is limited to about 500 thousand.  As for its permanent users, their number does not exceed 300 thousand. I divided the Internet users into two categories: the young people, who have an access to the global network in their educational institutions, and the wealthy people, who have Internet access at home. Thus, one may speak of the limited access to  the Internet among the population of the country. The Internet space exists in some enclaves in Bishkek and other big cities, while the rural population is excluded from this space,” noted Bakyt Beshimov.

One of the heads of an Internet providing company, expressed his opinion that today, there is no demand for Internet services in the regions and therefore, there is no supply: “The Internet services in the regions are very poorly spread due to the difficult socio-economic situation. Survival is the main priority for the people there. They think about the harvest, not about the Internet access,” believed a representative of the company.

However, Tattu Mambetalieva, referring to the results of the above-mentioned research, believes that the population of Kyrgyzstan’s provinces needs online information.

“The population, living in the regions, began to visit Internet cafes more frequently, since so far, it is the only place where one may access the Internet. 80 out of 100 people read the news and analytical materials. This means that there is a demand for information,” said Mambetalieva. She added that during the pre-crisis time, when there were no massive rolling blackouts of electricity and the population had greater access to the Internet. Today access has declined throughout the Republic.

Some experts believe such a low level of consumption of Internet information in the regions is also linked to the limited number of resources in the Kyrgyz language.

“The qualitative and quantitative level of Internet media in the Kyrgyz language is lower than that of Russian. Therefore, it is less popular and has less influence, both in the regions and in the capital,” expressed Ilim Karypbekov a media representative.

This is also the view of Roza Otunbayeva, who believes the only drawback of the network is the lack of Internet sites and news agencies working in the Kyrgyz language.

So far, according to many experts, the most popular and influential media is television, which is more accessible in the regions than newspapers, radio and the Internet.

For instance, Sultan Raev emphasized that television has the strongest impact on public opinion of all types of media. Neither newspapers, nor Internet sites can compete with television in the scope of its audience. The Minister expressed his view that the influence of online journalism on the political processes in Kyrgyzstan is low, because, according to him, “no more than 10-15 percent of the population regularlyuse Internet information.”

In doing so, the Minister noted that the majority of Internet readers are the residents of Bishkek. In this regard, he noted: “Often, they are influential people who are engaged in politics and influence the public. With the help of news agencies, they receive all necessary information and express their personal opinions.”

Despite the fact that many Kyrgyz villages do not even have telephones, experts believe that the number of people in the regions having Internet access and interest in online publications will increase.

“Now we can say that every year, the number of Internet users is increasing. We can judge that even by the sales of computers,” said Aibek Chekoshev, the chief editor of the newspaper “Obshestvenniy Reiting” (“Public Rating.”)

“Unfortunately, only the residents of Bishkek and regional capitals can now afford to use the Internet. But I am sure that this type of media has a great future,” concluded Tayirbek Sarpashev.

Influence of Internet Publications on the Work of Traditional Media

Most experts have come to the conclusion that traditional media is increasingly using the information published online. Every day, the radio, newspaper and television in Kyrgyzstan quote the journalistic texts of online information sources in large amounts or sometimes entirely. Thus, the information reaches the remotest regions of the country through traditional forms of the mass media. So, online publications are gaining greater influence not only in the capital, where the Internet access is not a problem, but also in other regions.

“Daily news, provided by the Kyrgyz news agencies and Internet sites, are used by TV, radio and newspapers, who work in their own format,” said Sultan Raev. “High speed is the main quality of news agencies. People visit the Internet sites for the latest information, but the question of its reliability remains open.”

“The advantage of quick dissemination of information, in comparison to other types of media, gives the Internet sites an opportunity to exercise greater influence on the sentiments of the people. And, more often, newspapers, radio and television, refer to online publications,” said Emil Aliev.

According to Alisher Mamasaliev, online publications are sometimes the only source of information for the Kyrgyz residing abroad.

“I can say that in 2005 the youth movement “Kel-Kel,” where I was a coordinator, received the highest moral support from our compatriots from abroad. In this regard, the information about Kyrgyzstan available for those residing outside of Kyrgyzstan is very important. They should have  broad access to local sources of information,” emphasized Mamasaliev.

Currently, according to a Parliament member, the television “increasingly cites the excerpts from interviews held by news agencies.” Thus, Internet sites are considered equal players in the information space.

Nevertheless, the representatives of traditional media do not recognize the great impact of online information sources on the social and political life in Kyrgyzstan or on their work, in particular. At the same time, many of them have opened their own websites in order not to lose their audience.

“Our newspapers are designed for the readers in the regions, where there are very few people who have Internet access. That is why I believe that printed media will play an important role for a long time in Kyrgyzstan. We feel the increasing influence of digital technologies. But, the printed media will not lose their positions because Kyrgyz readers are very conservative - they need to hold newspapers in their hands. That is one reason. The second reason is that Kyrgyzstan is not so computerized. In addition, one should not forget about the problems with electricity. After all, due to the rolling blackouts of electricity, people are deprived of the opportunity to watch TV or listen to the radio. But, they can always read a newspaper,” believes Antonina Blindina, an editor of the newspapers “Chuyskie Izvestia” [Chui news”] and “Dlya vas” [“For You”].

 Andrey Prilepin, the system administrator of the website for the NBT TV channel, speaks out about the main reasons for the company to create its own website. “Many people miss TV news programs when they are at work and thus they don’t receive information. Therefore, we decided to create our own web resource where everyone could read the information of a missed news program. The NBT website has existed since 2005, and, I think, it is in great demand.”

Maxim Kaganer, an executive director of the “Pyatiy Kanal” (“Fifth Channel”), drew the attention to the fact that, under the current conditions in Kyrgyzstan, no website can compete with television.

“In Kyrgyzstan, websites are not able to replace television because 90 percent of the population have no access to the Internet. Even those who have access,,spend their time on other things. So, I think that television is better than websites,” underlined Maxim Kaganer.

Given all the above-mentioned aspects of the influence of Internet publications in Kyrgyzstan, the experts have come to the conclusion that often, the decisions taken in the country, are shaped under the influence of online information sources. The limited access to the Internet in remote regions of the country does not allow online publications to directly influence the public opinion. But online information reaches the provincial consumer through traditional media. Online media, being the quickest form of information delivery, have become a supplier of news and journalistic texts for radio stations, newspapers and TV channels in Kyrgyzstan.

This article was prepared within the framework of the project “Safeguarding Internet journalism in Kyrgyzstan” supported by OSCE Center in Bishkek.