The Many Challenges of Native Language Journalism in Central Asia: The Case of Kyrgyzstan CAP Paper 221, July 2019 Elmurat Ashiraliev is a journalist at Kloop Media, an IWPR in Central Asia, Abahon Sultonazarov, summarizes well independent Kyrgyz media outlet that covers topics the many issues faced by Kyr- including politics, human rights, and corruption. As a gyz-language media outlets: part of the Kloop Media team, Elmurat served as the News websites in Kyrgyz were most- Kyrgyz editor for the UNDEF- and UNESCO-supported ly tabloid [yellow press]. Or they be- “Community Media Centers” projects. He is a member longed to certain politicians. They of the “Esimde” team that researches the history and could be opposition members, cur- rent and former politicians, and so memory of the Kyrgyz Republic. Elmurat earned an M.A. on. Kyrgyz is a beautiful language, in Central Asian Studies from the American University of but you know, it was used, I would like to emphasize, unfortunately, for Central Asia in 2016. blackening, uncovering who slept with whom, what they did, who is the The influence of the Russian lan- and issues varies in tone, em- relative of whom. Kyrgyz is spoken in guage is still apparent in almost phasis, content, and perspective. rural areas. The majority of people in all spheres of life in Central Asia. Russian-speaking news outlets our region [Central Asia] live in ru- Despite the new states’ policies of are more Bishkek-centric and ral areas and they are the electorate. The politicians used mass media to developing their native languag- some are likely to cover stories discredit their opponents.1 es—policies that have now been from a Russia-oriented perspec- tive, while Kyrgyz-language mass in place for nearly 30 years—Rus- Based on a study of 21 countries media are more conservative and sian remains a key language in across Europe and Eurasia, the “provincial” in the sense of doing the realms of politics, education, IREX 2018 report on media sus- more reporting on regional is- economics, culture, and informa- tainability2 ranks profession- sues. Oftentimes, Russian-speak- tion technology. The mediascape al journalism in Central Asian ing mass media have wider is no exception. In Kyrgyzstan, countries at a very low level in public resonance and social con- as in other neighboring Central terms of their quality and profes- sequence than Kyrgyz-language Asian states, journalism is mostly sional standards (see Figure 1). outlets. Kyrgyz-speaking news bilingual. Kyrgyz and Russian— Some of the IREX report’s points outlets are often considered to recognized in the Constitution as highlight the main issues that this be biased and to carry unverified the state and official languages, paper will discuss. These include information, making them closer respectively— can be used equal- the observations that, “Enter- to tabloid journalism than Rus- ly for legislation and other official tainment content tends to domi- sian-speaking media, even if the pronouncements. nate. When the media do publish latter have also produced what articles on political or socially is called “yellow press” (zheltaia Depending on the language used, important topics, the quality is the coverage of particular events pressa). The regional director of CAP Fellows Paper 221 1 Figure 1. IREX media sustainability assessment for Central Asia Source: IREX, Media Sustainability Index 2018 low” (Kazakhstan); “A code of estimates reach up to 80 percent. This paper is based on official sta- ethics for journalists has been in According to a Digital Central tistics, interviews with local and effect since 2007, but it has little Asia report, Internet penetra- international media experts, and impact” (Kyrgyzstan); “Televi- tion is at a low 35 percent,4 while content analysis of Kyrgyz-lan- sion broadcasts do not present a M-Vector research estimates it at guage news sites. The expert in- balance of opinions, and reports 59 percent,5 and calculations by terviews were conducted between are usually written in the first local official institutions are way December 2018 and March 2019. person” (Tajikistan); and “The too high, at above 80 percent.6 A The content analysis comprises most common violations among large share of the population still five Kyrgyz-language news sites— Uzbek journalists are favoritism prefers to receive news via tradi- one state-funded and four pri- and plagiarism, as well as the use tional mass media; nevertheless, vate. After discussing the changes of a single source of information” news coming from the Internet in Kyrgyzstan’s linguistic land- (Uzbekistan).3 is increasingly prevalent across scape, this paper explores the the country.7 While the tradition- country’s mediascape, discusses This paper investigates Kyrgyz- al mass media (TV, newspapers, the problems in Kyrgyz-language stan’s mediascape in the coun- and radio) can be effectively con- online media, and advances some try’s native language and the trolled by the government, online recommendations for addressing challenges it faces. It focuses on media in general exist without these issues. online media, which represent a censorship and make the media significant share of Kyrgyzstan’s environment in Kyrgyzstan fuzzy The Growth of Kyrgyz media consumption today. Al- and messy by spreading fake Language though there are no generally news, sensational crime stories, accepted data on the level of In- gossip about celebrities and offi- Given the Soviet past and ethnic ternet penetration in the country, cials, etc. composition of Kyrgyzstan, CAP Fellows Paper 221 2 the Kyrgyz language was and Russian to retain its status. The Our writers [journalists] have one bad remains a minority language in first group usually expresses fear habit. It’s an illness of using foreign Bishkek, the capital city. Press of the loss of Kyrgyz culture, tra- words, which are not necessarily releases of all kinds (from state ditions, and values together with pleasant to the ears, in their articles. departments, international the loss of language. Some urge Although such a “method” might seem peculiar to people who are institutions, and public and non- the government to implement not familiar with ancient words in governmental organizations the state (Kyrgyz) language pol- our mother tongue, it feels petty, 9 alike) are usually composed and icy. Some insist that the status “inappropriate,” to those who value disseminated first in Russian. of Russian as an official language the worth of words. […] In the past, Press releases in Kyrgyz are thus should be revoked10 and that Kyrgyz people used to call wealth either translations from Russian Kyrgyz should replace it in all that is hidden in a secret place qan (sometimes low in quality spheres of life, while also encour- salyq [king tax]. For example, people and difficult to understand) aging the learning of foreign lan- say “the pirates could not find the or unavailable entirely. guages.11 Some express concern king tax sniffing over the night.” Notwithstanding, production that the quality of education in […] Today, the journalists write “the president’s personal foundation”— in Kyrgyz is growing: more and Kyrgyz is lower than that in Rus- why not just write “the president’s more movies and TV series are sian, thus causing Kyrgyz-speak- king tax?” […] It is an insult and 12 being produced in and/or dubbed ers to lag behind in all spheres. shame that the Kyrgyz army calls into the national language. A The second group, comprised of our soldiers sarbaz even though good amount of local literature advocates of Russian, says that we have the word jooker in our in Kyrgyz is available, and Kyrgyz Russian should be strengthened mother tongue. This word [sarbaz] translations of foreign literature and enriched because it helps to was used for the knights of Kokand can be obtained as well, although preserve Kyrgyzstan’s cultural Khanate that attacked and invaded there are only a few. Furthermore, and historical legacy, including Kyrgyz people in its time. Sarbaz is some theater performances the Soviet one.13 A third group a Persian word with the meaning of “knight.” By the way, the soldiers of are now delivered in Kyrgyz. worries about Russian proficien- Manas were called choro. Or to call However, Kyrgyz is rarely used in cy diminishing and Kyrgyz being them eren is also suitable.17 academia; academic research is unable to function as a state lan- still mainly produced in Russian. guage, seeing in this paradox a Another article denounces This is explicable by the fact sign of the decline of literacy in 14 journalists for using the wrong that the majority of Kyrgyzstan’s the country. words: scholars are representatives of the Soviet generation: they The various issues of language Lately we are hearing some studied in Russian and have translation and linguistic purity journalists say the word kar (snow) limited resources to translate are frequently taken up by mass with two “a”s, which is “kaar.” their materials into Kyrgyz and to media in different ways, some- Only one “a” is used in the word use the national language in their times producing agreement that kar. It is said, “Kar jaady,” “kar research. The situation is quite Kyrgyz and Russian should not tüshtü” (it snowed). It is said, “Kar different in the provinces, where confront each other and should kalyñ jaady” or “kar juka jaady” (it Kyrgyz is more widely used and develop in parallel,15 and some- snowed heavily or it snowed lightly) Russian is losing its foothold.8 times accusing official institu- […] while “kaar” is used for angry people. For example, it is said, “one tions responsible for language got very angry.” It means one is upset. Language use is the object of a policy of damaging the Kyrgyz […] One of our singers has been 16 growing debate in Kyrgyzstan, language.