2022
Public Foundation “New Media”
Country/area: Kyrgyzstan
Organisation: Temirov Live
Organisation size: Small
Cover letter:
Our organization “New Media” has only been around for a year. During this time, she made a noticeable leap, we managed to implement several projects:
1) The first project we started with was “Temirov Live”, an investigative project from Kyrgyzstan created by journalist Bolot Temirov. Bolot Temirov was included by the US State Department in the list of 12 people – anticorruption champions award (around the world). https://kg.usembassy.gov/factcheck-kgs-bolot-temirov-receives-u-s-state-departments-inaugural-anticorruption-champion-award
He was among the prize-winners in investigations at local journalistic competitions. https://t.me/gijnRu/861
“Temirov Live” sets the mission of realizing the function of the media as the fourth estate. The goal is to combat corruption by publicizing investigations of corruption or other criminal activities of representatives of the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government. As well as the identification of the criminal activity of organized criminal groups. After the start of the project, it became clear that one should not be limited only to the main activity; it is necessary to develop investigative journalism in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. Among other things, expand its activities and bring investigations to legal consequences. That is, to submit to courts, complaints and other actions that would lead to the restoration of justice and legality. Achieving transparency in the activities of the authorities, thereby eradicating the irresponsibility of state bodies under pain of public censure and reaction.
“Temirov live” YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpZtteaL03_LrVORzSfxwZg
2) The second project is the “Ait Ait Dese” YouTube channel. A project consisting of video materials in the Kyrgyz language aimed at the regions of the country. Akin the improviser(poet-improviser), tells about urgent problems in Kyrgyzstan such as high levels of corruption and low levels of accountability; illegal attempts to regulate the activities of NGOs, harassment of independent media and political suppression of freedom of speech; poor understanding of democratic processes and institutions, especially in rural areas; and general political instability due to regional and clan fragmentation of the population. Through the traditional method of communicating information, we convey the importance of these issues to the deepest layers of the population.
To date, the project “Ait Ait Dese” covers the investigations of the “Temirov Live” channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWrgXNU6_vblOSq3pR34-vg/featured
The project began its activities in June this year, but in such a short time it managed to attract attention in well-known media:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtmuryvxPZY
Description of portfolio:
How brown coal is killing us
This investigation describes the causes of the smog in Bishkek, which has been hanging over the city every winter since 2016. During the investigation, we learned that the main factor is residential areas, then the Thermal power plant and last are cars. And the smog appeared because, since 2017, imports of Shubarkol coal from Kazakhstan have been halved every year. And people had to use Karakeeche brown coal, which produces much more harmful substances than Shabyrkul. And also, the Thermal power plant is starting to use brown coal more and more every year.
In this investigation we conducted a regression analysis, we used AQI(air quality index) values as the dependent variable, and as independent variables, we used days when CHP worked (1) and days when CHP did not work (0), packed in a categorical variable, and for cars we also used a categorical variable, 1 – when there were almost no cars, it was during the pandemic when traffic was controlled and there were not many cars, 0 – the rest of the time. And for the residential sector, we used the average temperature values for the day (when it’s cold, people start heating their houses).
We collected this data using web scraping (python, BS4 library, Selenium)
Stolen mandates in parliament 2021
This investigation refers to several violations by the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan. First – on November 28 after 8:00 p.m. information appears in all Kyrgyz mass media that turnout was 1 215 527 people. And on December 20 the website says that the turnout was 1,293,831 people. That is 78 thousand ballots came out of nowhere. Second – the votes of Ali Toktakunov, the candidate of the Atameken party, decreased by about 100 votes. Thirdly, we conducted a regression analysis and found out that on average the pro-government parties gain less at the polling stations where violations were observed, and the opposition parties, on the contrary, gain more at the stations where violations were observed and observers were active.
In this investigation, we collected voting data using web scraping (python, BS4 library, Selenium), and compared the number of votes in different time periods.
We also conducted a regression analysis, as a dependent variable we took the number of party votes at each polling station, and as an independent variable, we used the data on reported violations to the Central Election Commission and the “Kloop.kg” news agency. (1 – polling stations where violations were observed, 0 – polling stations where no violations were observed)
