The cost of integrity--the story of an Afghanistan newspaper

As one of Afghanistan's largest-circulation newspapers, with a rich history and a reputation for fierce independence, the Kabul Weekly has been widely courted. Several foreign embassies -- representing neighbouring countries and Western nations -- have offered funding, but only in exchange for influence over its coverage. One embassy even wanted to buy it and turn it into a virtual propaganda sheet for that country, says Ahmad Zia Kechkenni, an Afghan-Canadian journalist whose brother edits the publication. The Weekly has refused all such come-ons, however, and now appears to be paying the price for its integrity. With long-time advertisers withdrawing their support -- possibly because of the paper's outspoken criticism of the Karzai government -- it says it will close down within a month if it does not find some other source of revenue.

Click on the title to read the full story by the National Post's Tom Blackwell.