Iraqi Media Freedoms Under Threat

Although the Iraqi media has flourished since the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein eight years ago, journalists continue to face threats to their freedom of speech.

Many reporters complain that the government is allowed to act with impunity in suppressing criticism and dissent. Mariwan Hama-Saeed, of IWPR’s Iraq programme, assesses the scale of the problem. 

How would you characterise the current situation of press freedom in Iraq?

Freedom of press in Iraq still faces major challenges. Both the armed opposition groups and the state security forces violate the rights of journalists and media workers on a regular basis. This year so far, three journalists have been killed.

During the nationwide demonstrations over poor basic services and the lack of jobs which began in February, the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, JFO, documented more than 100 violations against journalists. These ranged from harassment to the confiscation and damage of equipment – and even violence.

Since demonstrations started in Iraqi Kurdistan against corruption and poor governance, the Metro Center to Defend Journalists - which monitors press freedom in the area under the control of the Kurdish Regional Government, KRG - has documented nearly 120 cases of violations against journalists. The majority of these were been committed by the security forces.

This means that across Iraq, there were more than 220 violations.

Of particular concern here is that those who abuse the rights of journalists are rarely prosecuted. Since the fall of the regime in 2003, around 250 media workers have been murdered in Iraq, according to JFO. Iraq has the misfortune of ranking number one in the world for impunity regarding the murder of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Although all journalists are at risk, I believe that journalists working in television are more vulnerable due to their public profile - the armed groups can recognise their faces - and because they carry recording equipment, which also often marks them out. Two of the three journalists killed this year were television reporters.  

What are the major gains in the media sphere over the last eight years?

Diversity has been the major achievement of the Iraqi media during this time. Today, there are more than 30 satellite channels and hundreds of radio stations and print publications. But this achievement has not been without problems. The majority of Iraqi media outlets are still run by political parties, so these channels and newspapers tend to present partisan views rather than inform the public.

Nonetheless, it is a huge improvement from the days when we had a one-party media. During the Saddam era, every aspect of the press was controlled by the ministry of information and only government and a few Baath party outlets were allowed to function. The ministry was dissolved after the fall of the regime in 2003. Now, anyone with some capital can establish a TV station or launch a newspaper.

You can see tens of newspapers and magazine covers at any kiosk, and people watch different channels and or various talk shows and political satires. There are also many radio talk shows catering for different age groups.  

How has the public view of Iraqi media altered?

The perception of the public has certainly changed. People no longer expect all front page news to be about their leaders and they have a huge variety in terms of choosing news outlets. During the reign of the former regime, there were only a handful of daily newspapers, radio and television stations, whereas now there are thousands of national - and international - options to choose from.

So compared to the Saddam era, Iraqis trust their national media more now. But issues of trust are also divided along sectarian lines. Many people from one sect might watch the TV station of another sect – but it doesn’t mean they believe the information they get from it.

A major challenge for the Iraqi media is they are not always at the level of the western media in terms of professionalism or financial resources. That is why, for example, a newspaper based in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, might depend on international news agencies to cover an event in Baghdad.  

What still needs to be done and what are the major challenges faced?

Security still poses one of the major challenges. The authorities need to do a better job to protect journalists, rather than merely condemning attacks on the press as and when they happen. The most powerful way to do this would be to ensure that those who kill journalists are brought to justice.

There needs to be an overhaul of the outdated codes that regulate the press and freedom of expression. The 1969 Iraq penal code, which is still valid, mandates lifetime imprisonment or the death penalty for insulting the president, the government or the national assembly. Journalists need to push for such legal changes.

In addition, Iraq needs an access to information law. There are many elements in Iraqi law - passed during Saddam’s reign to serve his regime - that prevent the public from accessing information. Government employees are not allowed to give any information before getting permission from their superiors, and in fact there is a saying in bureaucratic circles that “all information is considered secret unless labeled differently”. This is exactly contrary to the situation in democratic countries.

There is a different reality in Iraq now and the authorities must keep to their promises of establishing a more democratic system.