February is usually the month for press conferences in Tajikistan, which are held every 6 months across the country and last only 1 hour. Many journalists positively assessed this year’s event for journalists, especially those from state structures such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education. According to their opinion, officials from the aforementioned agencies continued the meeting despite the elapsed time and answered all the questions that were raised. However, colleagues also point out the inadequacy of some meetings, which ended within 20-25 minutes due to the incompetence of journalists in conducting a constructive conversation. This was particularly true for questions related to agriculture and related topics.
These events became possible thanks to President Rahmon’s decree in 2005, which mandated quarterly meetings for media access to official sources of information, as well as to ensure transparency in the activities of ministries and agencies. However, in 2011, adjustments were made, according to which such meetings with journalists were held only once every six months.
Not everything goes smoothly, as it often happens that a press release can be read in 30 minutes, leaving only 30 minutes for the question and answer process. Journalists would like to receive information firsthand—from the heads of ministries and agencies; however, this does not happen often because some state structures in the regions ignore holding press conferences, and journalists often receive one-sided and vague answers to their questions instead of clear responses. On the other hand, some editorial offices send young and inexperienced journalists, or even interns without preparation, to participate in press conferences.