The New Iraqi Media

Al-Iraqya News Channel.

On the 9th of April 2003 , on the very day the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein collapsed, five newspapers carried government propaganda and pictures of the “Great Leader” on its front pages. Official television and radio stations still towed the parting line, with the radio station owned by Saddam’s eldest son, Uday, occupying the airwaves.

Two years later, the situation is remarkably different. In Iraq , there are currently two hundred newspapers being published daily and twenty televisions channels on air. It seems as if the genie has finally broken out of its bottle, as one observer commented, before adding that the proliferation in media outlets, which has been coolly received by some in government, is getting out of hand and becoming impossible to stop.

Overseeing more than seventy five accredited newspapers through the syndicate for Iraqi journalists, Mohammed Harun says the number of newspapers in Iraq has recently exceeded two hundred and sixty, of which only seventy one are endorsed by the syndicate. The remainder is issued by so-called journalists, he added, who do not follow the principles of their trade.

Accreditation is not issued to a newspaper, Harun revealed, unless the publication conforms to a set of laws that stipulate, among other, syndicate membership for the publisher and the appointment of an editor in chief.

In the case of television stations according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, 65% of the Iraqi population have access to satellite technology and are able to receive a variety of opposing opinions from a number of channels which suit the tastes of some but not others. Satellite dishes have been selling heavily on the streets of Iraq , with over 7 million snapped up in one year alone.   Buildings across the country are now adorned by satellite receivers, signaling a complete break with over thirty five years of media monopoly and the single party state which tightly monitored its citizens.

The Los Angeles Times report indicates that, at the moment, more than twenty television stations are competing for the nation’s eyes and ears. Some are broadcast from inside Iraq while others depend on the hospitality of neighboring countries to set up home. In Dubai alone, because of the excellent facilities at Dubai Media City , two prominent satellite channels, Al Sharqia and Al Fayhaa broadcast under an open-ended license agreement.

Mohammed Al Taiy, a venerable Iraqi journalist who’s lived overseas since the beginning of the 1980s, currently the founder and manager of the Al Fayhaa, stated that the channel was on the verge of returning to Iraq after having its license revoked for no obvious reasons. Dr. Abdel Satir Jawad, the former Head of the Mass Communications Department Baghdad University and the Editor-in- Chief of the English language “Baghdad Mirror”, added that the multiplication of media channels in Iraqi is a natural reaction to suppression of the Saddam era. Unfortunately, the news media channels, he added, lack social responsibility. On the subject of the current use of the media by different political parties and persuasions, Jawad expressed hope that “this situation would change as soon as the constitution is set.”

The US-funded official Iraqi channel, Al Iraqia, benefits from a large audience, as it can be viewed across the country without a satellite connection. Many Iraqis, however, do not follow it closely as they consider it pro-American and because many of its programs are pre-recorded in Beirut or Cairo and lack a relevance to Iraqi issues.

Another television channel, Al Shariqya, was founded by the prominent Iraqi media figure, Saad Al Baz, the previous owner of Al Zman Institue and a newspaper published in London . The channel has an annual budget of 30 million US$ and is dependent on local and foreign investors. For the first time since its launch two years ago, the channel is available inside Iraqi without recourse to satellite transmission.

Al Sharqiya aims to continue the Iraqi media tradition and uses Iraqi staff and local inspiration for its programs. Using its studios in Dubai and Baghdad , Al Sharqiya seeks to achieve independent and innovative news coverage. It has also used comedy in its programs and has distinguished itself from other stations by funding projects that benefit Iraqis in need, such as rebuilding destroyed family houses, or paying for marriage expenses, akin to Western television stations.

Independently wealthy Iraqi businessmen, brought together by their love for the country and their desire to heal the past and stop the present deteriorating situation pooled their resources and currently fund Al Fayhaa for an estimated annual total of 3 million US$. The channel has been criticized for being biased towards Southern Iraq , especially the City of Basra . Its owner, Al Taiy, rejects this accusation and asserts that the channel embraces all of Iraq from Zacho on the border with Turkey , to the Fao peninsula in the South, with its staff from different areas of the country and various religious and ethnic communities.

Other television channels available via satellite in Iraq are Al Furat, Al Sumeria, Al Diar, Al Nahrayn, as well as Al Rashid and radio channels which have yet to begin broadcasting. In addition, Iraqis receive Al Hurra Iraq , which is affiliated to the US-funded Al Hurra channel, and is broadcast from inside Iraq and via satellite from the station’s headquarters in Washington D.C. It is mainly concerned with Iraqi issues and is funded by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which also funds Radio Sawa. Iraqis can also pick up different BBC channels and the official Radio Baghdad and other private radio stations, notable Radio Dejla. One of the most successful satellite television channels remains the pan Arab Al Arabiya channel with a very high number of viewers.

According to a special report focus on the state of the written Iraqi media in Money Magazine, Al Sabah appears to be the best selling publication with forty thousand copies and large advertisement revenues. It has been criticize, however, for being absent from areas of political trouble for fear of armed groups. Al Zaman, an independent international newspaper published from London also has a considerable number of readers. Sever thousand copies are distributed in Iraq on a daily basis. Al Mada and Al Mashriq, owned by Karim Fakhry, a veteran Iraqi politician, sell ten thousand copies each, whereas Al Sabah Al Jadid distributes thirty thousand copies. Other daily newspapers such as Al Dustur, Al Manar, and Al Furat, have a lower distribution that doesn’t exceed three thousand copies.

Other factional newspapers such as Al Nahda that represents the Independent Democratic Party and Baghdad , the mouthpiece of the Iraqi National Accord, have a limited readership. The Arabic language Kurdish newspaper Al Taakhy, supporting the the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the party of Iraqi President Jalal Talbani, is widely read with seven thousand copies sold every day. On the other hand, the weekly periodical, Al Shahid Al Mutakil, a local tabloid paper, enjoys a readership of over ten thousand.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Asharq Al Awsat was the first international Arabic paper to be published in Iraq with its introduction of an Iraqi edition focusing on the latest developments inside the country, in four daily pages, very successfully received.