Trending on X (6 p.m.): Media contracts, Uyanga, parliament spat, journalist Shinebayar freed

These are the eight topics Mongolian users discussed most on X between 2:13 p.m. and 6:13 p.m. (Ulaanbaatar time) on October 16, ranked by the likes, reposts and views of the leading posts. On Friday afternoon, the row over state contracts with media outlets kept escalating, and a court decision to release journalist T. Shinebayar shaped much of the conversation. Topics from earlier roundups appear only when there was a new development. There were eight real topics this time, so we did not pad the list to ten. Figures are as of 6:27 p.m.

1. Media contracts: calls to ban "closure contracts" and a provision of the State Austerity Law (new development)

The 2 p.m. roundup covered a proposal by MP Ch. Lodoisambuu. In this window the discussion turned to how state bodies award these contracts and who should be held responsible. In the most widely shared post on the topic, @margadism posted an image of what was described as a 2024 order by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency awarding direct, non-tendered contracts to media companies, and called for a ban on "closure contracts". We have not independently verified the order or the amounts it mentions.

Former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ts. Oyungerel (@oyunlt), who chairs the Civil Participation Party, recalled that as an MP and minister she was often offered "cooperation" contracts, which came with a promise "not to criticize you". @Enebish_, who works at Graph media, argued that outlets were paid for work done for the state under contract, and acknowledged that some 2025 contracts need to be looked at closely. @TsogtgerelB argued that ministries and state bodies that signed contracts with media outlets had breached Article 15.1.4 of the State Austerity Law. That is the user's view, and whether any specific contract falls under the provision is for the relevant authorities to determine. @LutochirT drew wide attention with a satirical post saying journalism had "split in two".

According to a compilation by Uchirtai.mn based on a National Audit Office study, state bodies signed media contracts worth a total of MNT 24.2 billion in 2025. Read more here. Posts accusing named individuals or organizations were left out.

2. Hariad G. Uyanga: "Find Nyambaatar!" (new development)

The most-liked post in this window was a short message from @hariad_uyanga: "Find Nyambaatar!" In a statement shared by Newsroom, G. Uyanga said the media sector was being "set on fire" to shield former Ulaanbaatar Governor Kh. Nyambaatar. She argued that the public should instead press the Anti-Corruption Agency and prosecutors for information on whether a search for him is under way. Media outlets have previously reported that Kh. Nyambaatar is in Canada. These are G. Uyanga's views, and we cannot verify her suggestion of a link between the media row and Kh. Nyambaatar. Our earlier report is here (in Mongolian).

3. Speaker S. Byambatsogt criticizes the Epstein hearing; a quarrel over attendance (new)

Among the most reposted posts in this window was a clip shared by Elch.mn of Speaker S. Byambatsogt telling the plenary session: "They held a hearing as if to award each other titles, unable even to tell Epstein from Einstein. Hearings like this, where they can't even run the meeting, are damaging parliament's reputation." He was referring to the general oversight hearing that parliament's Standing Committee on Legal Affairs held on October 7 into Mongolia's mentions in the Jeffrey Epstein files. MP B. Bayarbaatar chaired that hearing. Our report on the hearing is here (in Mongolian).

UBN.mn also posted footage of the Speaker and several MPs arguing during the attendance vote. MP Kh. Temuujin drew attention by saying that some members had spoken from the rostrum about grave crimes without facing any consequences, and that many ministers lie during budget debates. These are MPs' statements, and we have not independently verified any accusation against specific people.

4. Court releases journalist T. Shinebayar from pre-trial detention (new development)

The court heard the defense's complaint from 4 p.m. B. Khaliun, chief judge of the District Criminal and Civil Simplified Procedure Court of First Instance, reviewed the complaint and, citing the defendant's health, replaced the pre-trial detention of Dens.mn editor T. Shinebayar with a restriction order (according to the court summary published by sonin.mn). T. Shinebayar was arrested on October 10 following a complaint by Ts. Ganzorig, head of the Press Office of the Office of the President, and was then placed in detention for 30 days (ubn.mn). The case has not been decided, and T. Shinebayar remains under investigation as a defendant.

Before the ruling, @LutochirT voiced opposition to the detention. Afterwards, users including @sakuna_mn quickly spread the news. On the same day, ikon.mn reported that the chief judge had rejected a prosecutor's challenge to the release of B. Baatar, director of Hero Entertainment. Read more here.

5. Tobacco control law: flavored tobacco to be banned from 2027 (new development)

When the 2 p.m. roundup was prepared, the final vote had not been confirmed. Parliament has now passed the amendments to the Law on Tobacco Control, with 81 members voting in favor (mpress.mn). From January 1, 2027, all tobacco products with fruit, mint or other flavors and scents will be banned, and electronic and heated tobacco will be regulated and taxed in the same way as cigarettes. One of the bill's sponsors, A. Ariunzaya, stressed that the ban does not apply to traditional snuff.

Reactions were mixed. @AriuntuyaLaw doubted that a legal ban would make users quit, while @margadrdn summarized the new rules. Read more here (in Mongolian).

6. "Residential-complex primary school" rent: School No. 32 at risk of three shifts (new)

UBN.mn posted a clip on the risk that School No. 32 in Khan-Uul district will have to teach in three shifts. According to Arslan.mn, the school's principal, Ch. Undarmaa, told an education budget discussion held yesterday that more than 900 first- to third-graders study in two buildings rented under the "residential-complex primary school" scheme. Because the September and October rent had not been paid, she said, the landlord had cut the heating, and the school will face three shifts if the payment is not settled. The Ministry of Education said it would look into the matter.

In a clip shared by @anbuleg, B. Jargalan complained that a breakdown of the MNT 50 billion "School close to home" program had still not been provided.

7. Egiin Gol hydropower plant: Russian scientists back the project in principle (new development)

The 2 p.m. roundup mentioned this based on remarks by the Speaker, and it has now been officially confirmed. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Ts. Sandag-Ochir said the joint Mongolian-Russian research team had reached a common conclusion, and that the scientists had signed a protocol reflecting the Russian side's support for the Egiin Gol hydropower project in principle (isee.mn, gogo.mn). The team plans to submit its report to the Russian Academy of Sciences on November 18, after which it will be sent to both governments. Read more here.

8. Autumn conscription begins as young men report for service on a snowy day (new)

The capital's second conscription round of 2026 began today and runs from October 16 to 18 at conscription points in all nine districts (mnb.mn). Newsroom shared footage of young men heading off to serve on a snowy day, and LiveTV.mn reported from the Khan-Uul district conscription point. @margadism wrote that the call-up announcement "tugs at the heart". Officials said that citizens who had not yet been conscripted in the provinces can register at a conscription point in any district of the capital (m21.mn).

Methodology: We ranked posts from about 200 major news and influential accounts found through X search, plus more than 50 keyword searches, by an engagement score (likes + 2× reposts + views/100), and checked the facts against news sites. Posts that could not be verified or that carried a risk of defamation were left out. Views expressed by individuals on X do not represent the position of egov.mn.