Iraq: July/Aug ‘07
Special reports on security and education republished widely in Iraqi and international media.
Iraq: July/Aug ‘07
Special reports on security and education republished widely in Iraqi and international media.
IWPR Iraq began publishing special series on major topics in Iraq this summer which are attracting widespread attention.
The Iraq programme published special reports on security and education that have been republished in hundreds of English, Arabic and Kurdish-language websites and newspapers and in the US press.
The New York-based Village Voice newspaper’s senior editor Ward Harkavy praised IWPR Iraq’s reports on security in an article published on his blog. Harkavy’s article, titled “Iraq: The News You Haven't Read” commended IWPR for writing “an explosive cluster of stories” otherwise not covered in the US media.
IWPR Iraq ran 14 special reports on security and education covering seven different provinces, reflecting IWPR’s wide network of reporters throughout the country.
“Mosul's Christian Community Dwindles”, which IWPR reporter Sahar al-Haideri reported prior to her murder in the city earlier this summer, was republished by over 70 English-language websites, including the online news service AlterNet and news sites or blogs from Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Sahar’s work was also mentioned in a report from the Guardian newspaper titled “Iraq’s forgotten heroes”.
“For me it’s great to have stumbled across IWPR and found this great resource for voices that aren’t necessarily found in the commercial media,” said Joshua Holland, Iraq editor for Alternet.
IWPR’s Iraq stories “provide the perspectives that aren’t filtering through the American media, and you’re getting a professional piece of content”.
Ako Mohammed, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Midya in Erbil, has republished 45 IWPR stories since 2006, including several full pages dedicated to IWPR stories and many of the special reports. He praised IWPR for publishing balanced, professional stories.
“IWPR has had a positive role in developing the skills of Iraqi and Kurdish reporters,” he said. “IWPR stories are very rich in information. Whenever we republish a full page of IWPR stories we feel we attract many interested readers.”
Tiare Rath is IWPR’s Middle East editor.
