DUSHANBE, September 22, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- By President’s decree ministers, department heads, and local authorities will give half-yearly news conference starting from October this year, according to the presidential press service.

The decree reportedly notes that in case of necessity, ministers and department heads may give news conference several times a month.

Commenting on this decree, chairman of the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (Nansmit) Nouriddin Qarshiboyev noted that it would deteriorate the already difficult access to the socially significant information in the country.

“The quarterly news conferences were one of the main ways of getting first-hand information, though they were mainly like reports of ministries and departments on the work done,” the media watchdog head stressed.

Chairman of Tajik Journalists’ Unit (TJU) Akbarali Sattorov considers that the quarterly news conference were a good initiative of the president, though the quality of those news conferences left much to be desired.

“If the half-yearly news conferences are held at higher level and more time is provided for them, they will help, to a certain extent, journalist get the socially significant information,” Mr. Sattorov added.

We will recall that President Emomali Rahmon in March 2005 signed a decree obligating ministers, department heads, and local officials to give quarterly news conferences.