Abstract
Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip Revolution of March 2005 was expected to spur democratization by ousting an increasingly autocratic and repressive regime. Many journalists and media experts in and out of the country hoped the regime change would loosen constraints on the press, encourage privatization of state-owned newspapers and broadcast outlets, enhance professionalization and independence of journalists, and make a market-supported media system economically viable. A year and a half later, however, anticipated improvements in Kyrgyzstan’s press environment were still slow in developing. The findings raise questions about the realistic prospects for rapid change in press rights following revolutionary regime changes in other post-communist countries with no tradition of a free press.
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