Commentary: Independent media a rarity in Iraq

[unhappycamper]

Commentary: Independent media a rarity in Iraq
By Abeer Mohammed | The Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Posted on Friday, December 17, 2010

BAGHDAD — Journalists are warning that the increasingly partisan nature of the Iraqi press is suppressing fair and impartial media coverage of politics.

They say that as politicians come to understand the power of the media, they have sought to control it, thwarting balanced, professional journalism.

"There is no independent media outlet in Iraq. I cannot name any satellite channel or a newspaper and say, 'This one is independent.' They all either belong to a political or religious party," said Hadi Jalo Marei, chairman of the Journalistic Freedom Observatory, a Baghdad-based media rights organization.

With political disputes often played out in competing partisan media outlets, local reporters and editors say their respective organizations impose strict rules about coverage that are often counter to internationally recognized standards of impartiality.

As most domestic news agencies are linked to or financed by political parties, observers say that a culture exists in which media aligned with a certain group provide positive coverage of their leaders while criticizing opponents.



unhappycamper comment: It appears that Iraq has its own 'Faux Noise'. Unfortunately Rupert's noise channel is entertainment, not news.

[newfie11]

1. In America too. nt