Afghanistan Bans Live Coverage of Militant Attacks

Afghanistan has banned live coverage of Taliban attacks, saying live images embolden militants at the government's expense. Journalists with permission from the country's spy agency will be allowed to film the aftermath of battle. Human rights groups denounced the move. "The government should not hide their inabilities by barring media from covering incidents," a rep for a local rights group tells Reuters.

Representatives of news organizations were told that they would face unspecified punitive measures if they violated the ban. "We believe broad, preemptive bans on coverage are inconsistent with a democratic society," the AP's senior managing editor for international news said. "Experience shows there are many ways to cover important breaking stories without interfering with police or security operations." (More Afghanistan stories.)