If the gist of this is true, then the gist of this is troubling:

Naseer Fayaz, one of Afghanistan’s most famous television presenters, is used to fans and other well-wishers coming by the office. The host of a popular weekly program, “The Truth,” his exposés of government malfeasance have won him awards as well as a devoted following. But after a recent episode of the show that was especially critical of the government, Mr. Fayaz received unexpected visitors: members of the Afghan secret police. “They questioned me and the next day arrested me,” he says. “I was kept in a cell for two days. They kept telling me I should quit working in the media.” After protests from numerous Afghan media groups and global organizations, such as Amnesty International, Fayaz was released. But media groups say that the incident is the latest in a trend of increasing intimidation of Afghan journalists by the government. In fact, the Afghan government is responsible for at least 23 of the 45 reported incidents of intimidation, violence, or arrest of journalists between May 2007 and May 2008, according to the Nai Center for Open Media, an Afghan nongovernmental organization.

Obviously, the Afghani press is freer than it was under the Taliban or the Soviets, but that doesn’t mean the U.S. and other coalition partners shouldn’t expect more from the Karzai government they support and protect at great cost.