Citizen Journalism by Josh Mull

[The following is an unpublished blog for Alive in Baghdad]

Almost everyone in the West has an opinion about the media these days. Some say it is too biased toward one side or the other, others complain it downplays relevant issues in favor of the view points of politicians or corporate advertisers. What many in the West may not realize however is that these complaints wouldn’t be out of place in Iraqi society as well. Through authoritarian regimes and bitter civil war, Iraq’s media has emerged as a broad spectrum of ideas and information, and one not altogether unrecognizable to media consumers in the West.

Though its difficult to imagine in today’s “on demand” media rich environment, the number of Iraqi newspapers during the government of Abdul Karim Qasim in the 1940s and 1950s, and continuing through Saddam’s Ba’ath party, was no more than five. All of which were, of course, only favorable and never critical of the regime. Saddam enforced his control over the media aggressively and brutally, controlling newspapers, radio stations and at the top, the publishing companies. Journalists in Iraq today tell stories of their friends and colleagues kidnapped, tortured, or worse. Some journalists attempted to resist this control, even joining the Sadr Movement in its 1990s rebellion. Beyond the violence, Saddam’s iron grip on the media caused other problems as well. Iraqi citizens were more often than not left completely in the dark on important issues affecting them, instead left to suffice with Ba’ath party propaganda. Even the major Sports papers were under the direct control of Uday Hussein, Saddam’s son.

After Saddam was ousted by the American invasion, the number of Iraqi newspapers, television and satellite stations, and radio journalists did skyrocket from their pre-invasion level of five to over 200, operated by corporations and local political parties. Some were even completely independent publishers, such as Al-Sabah, a favorite among Iraqis for its excellence in covering the government. However, Iraqis soon found that a diverse and open media environment came with its own set of problems. Where once there was only four newspapers presenting one point of view, that of Saddam’s, there were now hundreds of news outlets for Iraqis to choose from, each with its own unique bias and point of view. Political parties such as Tareek Al-Sha’ab (the population path) compete openly with other outlets like Al-Basha’er newspaper, for better or worse.

The similarities with Western media go beyond the wild diversity of news outlets, the “tyranny of choice” as its often called. Many Iraqis also complain that news outlets are untrustworthy. Often a newspaper or radio station will only carry political propaganda at the expense of valuable information needed by the citizens. A common complaint focuses around the surging cholera epidemic. Iraqis are given very little helpful news on prevention or care for cholera outbreaks, instead left to choose from an assortment of political, corporate or sectarian propaganda.

Unfortunately, this is where the similarities to western media end. The backbone of this media industry is the Iraqis running the news stands, and they pay a hefty price just to remain in business day to day. Under the chaotic security of Iraq, sometimes simple transportation to and from work can be an exorbitant expense for Iraqi newsmen. These expenses are on top of the regular overhead like taxes paid to state and local governments. In addition, journalists and media workers often find themselves the targets of militias or gangs. For instance, Muntader al-Zaidi, the infamous Iraqi journalist “Shoe Thrower,” was himself a victim of the Mehdi Army’s torture chambers. Dangers like this are beyond comparison with the relative inconveniences faced by western media in their daily operation.

This week we bring you interviews with only a handful of Iraqi media insiders just to give you a glimpse of not only how startlingly similar Iraqi media is to the west,  but also how frighteningly different. See what it’s like to operate inside a flourishing media ecosystem, all while enduring tyrants, civil war, and occupation in this week’s episode of Alive in Baghdad.

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