|
By
Iqbal Hassoon al-Qazwini
Iraq has
suffered decades of war and brutal dictatorship which have left
the country weak and exhausted. The situation in post-war Iraq
is unstable, Iraqi civil society has been destroyed, and the
economy is in ruins. Baghdad is still in chaos and security
in the city is a constant concern. The collapse of the state
and all its organs has left a profound vacuum. The numerous
rival political interests competing for power and positions
in the country are establishing highly partisan media which
play a negative role in an already fragile post-war society.
Therefore the stabilization of the situation in general requires
the creation of an elected government, which is the very pre-condition
for the establishment of professional and independent media
that provide reliable information and at the same time support
the public debate and reflect the diversity of interests in
Iraq. Free and independent media are fundamental to the rebuilding
of a democratic society in Iraq. Media under the former totalitarian
regime were controlled fully by the government and used for
its purposes and for the glorification of the figure of the
dictator. As a main tool of official power, the media were under
the authority of Saddam's son Uday and entirely infiltrated
by the security services.
Since the
toppling of the former regime in April 2003 the country has
witnessed the emergence of dozens of new daily journals and
magazines as well as numerous radio stations and terrestrial
TV stations. On first sight this appears to be a healthy sign
of the process of democratization of the society. In fact, most
of the media professionals have politicized backgrounds, and
are either pro-government or with the opposition. Indeed there
are only few experienced journalists, editors, and managers
who professionally run independent media. A lot of obstacles,
such as the absence of the rule of law, as well as the lack
of a democratic culture in Iraq, hinder the free atmosphere
which is essential for any open media to operate successfully.
The emergence of truly independent media requires, among other
things, that competent Iraqi media people should have control
over media projects in their country. Joint efforts should continue
to help bridge the gap between the international debate over
Iraqi media policy and Iraqi media professionals themselves.
But it seems that the US authorities in Iraq are incapable of
and unwilling to clarify and firmly separate their public political
agenda of interests from any media development strategies. Up
till now they have proven stubborn in not giving Iraqis greater
control over media. One gets the impression that they are pursuing
their own agenda, paying lip service to the concept of a proper
public broadcasting system, while doing what they feel is good
for the Coalition, not for the Iraqi people. Apart from that,
the country is far from being a safe place, in which reconstruction
or development programmes can be carried out. Till today the
process of restoring order and public services is very slow.
In the capital Baghdad the reconstruction process is expected
to take even longer. Under these circumstances the majority
of Iraqis will probably continue to do what they did in the
past, namely rely on media from outside the country simply because
they are not convinced either of the Coalition Provisional Authority's
(CPA) or the government's intention to engage them in the discussion
about the future of their country. The CPA hired a private defense
contractor to try to establish a national radio and TV station,
the Iraqi Media Network from the remnants of the former national
broadcaster. This process was unsuccessful because it was full
of political, technical, and security difficulties. Part of
those difficulties was due to the unsettled situation within
the CPA itself and the lack of any transparent strategic plan
for re-establishing a national Iraqi media network.
In late
July 2004 the National Communication and Media Commission (NCMC)
endorsed a draft law on regulating media in Iraq, whereby broadcasting
stations will be subject to written rules and criteria defining
the principles of work and legal standards. In addition to the
NCMC, the interim government has also set up a Higher Media
Commission, HMC. The extent of the HMC´s powers and activities
and its relation with the NCMC is still unclear. The National
Communication and Media Commission set up in March 2004 to act
as an independent regulator for broadcasting and telecoms, estimates
that after seventeen months of unregulated media growth there
are now about eighty radio and twenty-one TV stations on the
air inside Iraq. Most of them are run as local mouthpieces of
political factions. But a few commercial channels aspire to
be successful national broadcasters. They include Al-Sharqiya
TV, which describes itself as the first private national channel
not tied to any political, ethnic, or sectarian group. It promises
programs with a local flavour as well as political comedy. The
channel's newscast focuses on developments in Iraq and the political,
economic, and social conditions there. Al-Sharqiya does not
air religious programmes and does not carry the call for prayer
or Friday sermons. All drama series are Iraqi in terms of production,
actors, and dialect.
It is obvious
that Iraq is experiencing a media boom and for the first time
satellite dishes are offering access to international TV stations,
but only a limited number of citizens can afford them. Those
without satellite dishes rely on the only nationwide terrestrial
TV channel, the coalition run Al-Iraqiya. Although Al-Iraqiya
is seen with good reception in central Iraq, the signal is not
received as strongly in south-eastern Iraq, which explains why
the population there tends to watch Iranian TV channels instead.
This channel is run on contract by the US broadcasting equipment
manufacturer Harris Corporation and a Lebanese partner. Critics
say its role has been more that of a tool for getting the Coalition's
message out than of an independent voice. Its presentation and
news are considered unprofessional and weak. There is also Alhurra
satellite TV station, which is funded by the US government and
was launched in February 2004. Alhurra does not air commercials
or generate any revenue and thus is dependent on the US government
for its money. Alhurra spent $20 million to buy broadcast equipment
and technology and to renovate the studio. The rest of the money
went for operating costs and salaries, which network representatives
say are in line with the US government's pay scale. Alhurra
is the latest and most technologically advanced television organization
to enter the crowded Middle East satellite market. This channel
is a 24-hour news and information network broadcast entirely
in Arabic. It can be seen in twenty-two countries in the region
via Arabsat and Nilesat. In April 2004, a second channel was
added called Alhurra Iraq specifically for Iraqi viewers.
The radio
landscape offers a considerable variety of radio stations. Among
them Radio Sawa, Radio Dijla, Peace Radio FM, Ashur Radio (in
Arabic and Assyrian), Bilad Radio, Radio Al-Mustaqbal, Voice
of the People of Kurdistan (in Arabic and Kurdish), Shafaq Radio
(in Arabic and Kurdish), Voice of Iraq (in Arabic, English and
Turkmen), Dar Al-Salam Radio (Iraqi Islamic Party) and US-funded
Radio Free Iraq.
The future
budget for Radio Sawa and the two Alhurra television stations
is expected to exceed $52 million. In July 2004 Al-Fayha ("The
Vast", one of the Arabic names of Basra) satellite TV,
a new Iraqi satellite channel, began transmission from the United
Arab Emirates. It is reportedly licensed in Dubai Media City.
Additional terrestrial channels are expected to broadcast in
the near future.
Amid this
media chaos, however, the provision of balanced reporting--especially
about local issues and humanitarian concerns--remains insufficient.
Currently in Iraq, the media is concentrated in three areas.
The first is the capital Baghdad, the second is in the south
of the country with its four main centres of Basra, Amara, Najaf,
and Hilla, and the third is Iraqi Kurdistan. In the southern
part of the country, the population tends to watch Iranian TV
channels such as Al-Alam TV, which broadcasts in Arabic and
is the only foreign channel that can be viewed by Iraqis without
a satellite dish.
The media
environment, though very active, lacks training and political
independence, which applies to almost the whole media network
in the country, because the majority of the print media and
radio and TV stations are supported by political parties, be
it directly or indirectly. In fact all political parties in
Iraq have at least one print publication, often more. The content
of most of the newspapers is essentially the same--politics
and current affairs, domestic issues, features, entertainment
and sports. A few publications address culture or non-political
topics. Yet the absence of a functioning economy, social security,
political stability, democratic culture and trained reporters,
makes truly independent and reliable journalism impossible.
More than three decades of state monopoly under the rule of
the one-party system left the media in the country corrupted
and distorted. Law in the new Iraq should guarantee freedom
of the media and regulate their legal rights. The success of
this process is dependent on a clear policy of handing over
TV and radio to an independent broadcaster far away from the
direct control of any government body. A strategic national
plan drawn by professional independent Iraqis is the pre-requisite
for establishing an independent and responsible media in Iraq.
This requires a lot of effort and engagement in such forms as
programs for media managers and journalistic staff, making use
of regional and international support. Another priority is to
involve Iraqi media professionals and intellectuals who live
abroad to contribute with their knowledge to the implementation
of the media network. Without a responsible and active participation
of media and Iraqi intellectuals, the process of reconstructing
the country will be incomplete and deformed. It is also necessary
to organize different kinds of seminars as a platform for an
exchange of opinions and views, and to debate in public about
the media's needs.
In order
to reach Iraqi citizens, Iraqi media should take the desperate
needs of ordinary people into consideration, sharing and communicating
their pains and joys. The International Federation of Journalists
notes that "unless Iraqi colleagues are fully involved
in setting the standards for journalism, a rush to regulate
will hinder efforts to build a free and independent media community.
The priority must be to place journalism firmly in the hands
of media people themselves, not to impose rules that will undermine
an emerging democratic process." Despite the chaotic and
unregulated growth of media in Iraq, the majority of the Iraqis
appreciate the era of freedom after decades of state control.
Still, efforts need to be made by Iraqi media professionals
inside the country and abroad to maintain and develop this achievement,
while at the same remaining aware of any attempt to crack-down
on media freedoms under any pretext. It is universally recognized
that the right to freedom of expression is essential for any
democratic society. Therefore it would be appropriate to conclude
with the following quotation from the European Court of Human
Rights: "Freedom of expression constitutes one of the essential
foundations of a [democratic] society, one of the basic conditions
for its progress and for the development of every man.... It
is applicable not only to information or ideas that are favourably
received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference,
but also to those that offend, shock or disturb the State or
any sector of the population. Such are the demands of pluralism,
tolerance and broadmindedness without which there is no democratic
society."
Iqbal
Hassoon al-Qazwini is a freelance journalist and writer
based in Berlin since 1978.
[printer
friendly version]
|