Abstract
Authoritarian countries have various tools to control the media environment in their countries, including strict regulations, physical intimidation, threats, attacks, and forceful shutdowns of critical media outlets, among others. By examining the state information policy of Kazakhstan, locally known as “gos zakaz,” this study sheds light on the misuse of state-financed media outlets and their effects on practical journalism. This article adds to the growing scholarship of journalism in Central Asia, a region where little scholarly knowledge has appeared in international peer-reviewed venues due to political and other obstacles. By utilizing semi-structured interviews to collect data among members of the journalism community during April 2023 and January 2024, the findings suggest that state information policy effectively turned Kazakhstan's journalism into a powerful propaganda machine. The state policy also promotes de-professionalism, silences critical voices, and promotes official narratives. Journalists working for gos zakaz receipient media outlets have become “servants” to the authorities in this Central Asian nation. The media capture theoretical framework is applied to analyze and discuss the findings. It is a suitable theory because it argues that news outlets misreport the news in favor of patrons and that the patrons use media outlets to serve their own political goals.