Theoretical foundations for researching the roles of the press in today's Central Asia / Eric Freedman -- Under the commissars. Soviet foundations of the post-independence press in Central Asia / Richard Shafer -- National perspectives. Oligarchs and ownership: the role of financial-industrial groups in controlling Kazakhstan's "independent" media / Barbara Junisbai -- Reinforcing authoritarianism through media control: the case of post-Soviet Turkmenistan / Luca Anceschi -- Hizb ut-Tahrir in Kyrgyzstan as presented in Vecherniy Bishkek: a radical Islamist organization through the eyes of Kyrgyz journalists / Irina Wolf -- The future of Internet media in Uzbekistan: transformation from state censorship to monitoring of information space since independence / Zhanna Kozhamberdiyeva -- Journalistic self-censorship and the Tajik press in the context of Central Asia / Peter Gross and Timothy Kenny -- Trans-regional perspectives. Loyalty in the new authoritarian model: journalistic rights and duties in Central Asian Media Law / Olivia Allison -- Ethnic minorities and the media in Central Asia / Olivier Ferrando -- Journalists at risk: the human impact of press constraints / Eric Freedman -- International broadcasting to Uzbekistan: does it still matter? / Navbahor Imamova -- Journalism education and professionalism. Journalism education and professional training in Kazakhstan: from the Soviet era to Independence / Maureen J. Nemecek, Stan Ketterer, Galiya Ibrayeva, and Stanislav Los -- Professionalism among journalists in Kyrgyzstan / Gregory Pitts -- New media, new frontiers. Internet libel law and freedom of expression in Tajikistan / Kristine Kohlmeier and Navruz Nekbakhtshoev -- Blogging down the dictator? the Kyrgyz revolution and Samizdat web sites / Svetlana V. Kulikova and David D. Perlmutter -- Conclusion: through the crystal ball / Richard Shafer.