Chronogram - Iraqi Press Monitor: Homemade Media in Iraq

Iraqi Press Monitor: Homemade Media in Iraq

Connecting the Hudson Valley to the World

The Institute of War & Peace Reporting, a Web-based news outlet, is giving Iraqis on-the-job training on how to create homegrown journalism in the new Iraq.

Trying to sift through the news to get an idea of just what is really happening in Iraq is akin to looking through the Hubble telescope to determine the far reaches of our universe. By the time media pundits and today's so-called journalists get done relaying their versions of conditions on the ground, most Americans are left believing that Iraqis are running from bombed-out building to bombed-out building, and worse. Not that day-to-day life is not a challenge in occupied Iraq, but there are many stories not making it into the press simply because Western journalists are not talking to Iraqis; and when they do, they imprint their cultural and political bias over the face of the Iraqis, smothering certain on-the-ground truths.

Enter the Institute of War and Peace Reporting, an Internet-based news outlet whose aim is to "strengthen local journalism in areas of conflict. The IWPR Web site states, "By training reporters, facilitating dialogue and providing reliable information, [the institute] supports peace, democracy, and development in societies undergoing crisis and change."

In addition to managing a special reporting project on war crimes tribunals, IWPR utilizes the skills of international journalists from such established media as the BBC, the Guardian and Reuters; the IWPR also provides on-the-job training for budding journalists in Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Iraq. In Iraq and Afghanistan there are teams made up of two journalism trainees who, according to IWPR editor Eric Watkins, a journalist with 20 years experience working in the Middle East, are assigned the job of collecting local newspapers on any given day, carefully sifting through them and selecting seven "of the best stories they can find." On a daily basis, conditions permitting, these stories are then edited down to summary form and posted to the IWPR Web site in English, Arabic, and Kurdish, under the names Iraqi Press Monitor and Afghan Press Monitor. In addition, IWPR distributes the weekly Iraqi Crisis Report, a collection of full-length articles covering the latest news in Iraq.

"Our project aims to teach Iraqis principles of good journalism," says Watkins. "We have trainers who are in Iraq and their job is to work with Iraqis of any age or belief - there is no division as to Sunnis or Shiites. The idea is they will learn how to do proper reporting from where they are located, and that's it." There are 13 newspapers being reviewed by trainees in Baghdad alone and trainees are not allowed to select more than one story from each. "This is not a huge number but still the job means that they have to be very, very objective. We don't give priority to one paper over another. We try to make sure that we have a complete balance here. The ultimate choices of stories are up to trainees. We don't support any ethnic splits, we don't support any division of the country, and we don't support anything except journalism in the country. We're not promoting a unified Iraq. We don't have a political agenda. We have a social agenda, which is to help produce journalists for the country."

Reportedly, there are over 200 newspapers in existence in Iraq today. "The question is whether they are really viable papers," says Watkins. "By viable papers I mean, do they actually come out? Years ago when I was in Yemen, we had a list of 45 newspapers. And these varied from three government dailies to a handful of weekly papers to some that [appeared] every two weeks to some monthlies and then others that just appeared when the guys stopped yawning. So it is very hard to tell who is producing newspapers and how many."

"The IWPR reports tell a lot and there are some real fans out there," claims Watkins. "I just wish more people got to read it and most of all I wish we could just get more Iraqi voices heard. That's what we actually need."

Included below is a sampling of Iraqi Press Monitor summaries from October 19 and October 21st reports. You can sign up for a free e-mail subscription to all of these reports (and others from Africa, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Asia) by visiting www.iwpr.net.

- Lorna Tychostup

Iraqi Press Monitor, October 19

ALLAWI VISITS SADR CITY
(Baghdad) - Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, accompanied by Minister of Security Affairs Kasim Dawood, has visited Sadr City to supervise the operation of the weapons handover. He met with the police chief and toured the city sewage office, praising those running it. He said some elements had tried to exploit city residents for political aims. "We never allow them to do that," he said, adding that "we want Sadr City people to make use of the wealth of Iraq as well as other Iraqis." He encouraged Sadr City residents to participate in the election process in the hope that Fallujans might follow their example.

(Baghdad is a daily newspaper issued by the Iraqi National Accord.)

INFILTRATORS CONTINUE TO ENTER THE COUNTRY
(Azzaman) - Border police of Diala province have arrested 241 Iranian, Afghan, and Pakistani elements who last week infiltrated Iraq illegally through Iran. They were carrying light weapons with them, and were sent to specialist authorities for interrogation. Border police chief Waleed Abdul Salam said it was not the first arrest of infiltrators into Iraq. He added that the border will be intensively controlled by having patrol stations equipped with vehicles and means of communications. The Basra border office has declared that no more infiltrators have entered through the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border due to collaboration between the two sides.

(London-based Azzaman is issued daily by Saad al-Bazaz.)

BARZANI SAYS KIRKUK WILL REJOIN KURDISTAN
(Asharq Al-Awsat) - Iraqi Kurdish President Masood al-Barzani has rejected any interference in Kirkuk, considering it "a local Iraqi issue." He said Kirkuk will rejoin Kurdistan because the majority of the residents there are Kurds. Barzani said neighboring states should show friendship and cooperation to the Iraqi people in order to help them resolve their critical situation. He asked the neighbors to maintain control of their borders to stop infiltration by saboteurs. He denied any possible civil war because of Kirkuk. He added the election will take place on time under the supervision of the UN. He hoped the security issue will be solved before the start of the election.

(London-based Asharq al-Awsat, a Saudi independent paper, is issued daily.)

Iraqi Press Monitor, October 21
ANTI-TERRORIST OPS WORKING, BUT MORE POLICE NEEDED
(Al-Adala) - Some 110 foreign elements, including Syrians and Iranians, have been arrested in operations south of Baghdad. Around 24 foreign and Arab terrorists were sent to court after carrying out terrorist operations. A US commander said the Iraqi police need eight more months and 15,000 more well-equipped policemen to control the security situation of five million residents in Baghdad. Since the start of the anti-terrorist operation, many weapons dumps and more than 250 terrorists have been arrested in the area know as "death triangle" south of Baghdad.

STRIKES LAUNCHED AGAINST ZARQAWI FOLLOWERS
(Baghdad) - News reports say intensive attacks were launched in Fallujah against the dens used by the followers of Zarqawi who plan to attack the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people during Ramadan. They plan to use suicide attacks, to be carried out by foreign elements, on the Iraqi people and the multilateral forces. The attacks on Fallujah aim at frustrating the terrorists and weakening the ability of the Zarqawi network. The multilateral forces vow to help the government to keep security and stability.

ELECTION SECURITY ON THE AGENDA
(Al-Sabah) - Negotiations are under way between the Ministry of Interior and the multilateral forces to set a proper plan of security for the coming elections. Ministry media counselor Sabah Kadhim asked all parties and political currents to cooperate with the government. He asked the UN to send more inspectors and supervisors to supervise the election. He added that the election would set a corner stone to the democratic, constitutional, and multiple system of the new Iraq.

AYATOLLAHS UNDERLINE NEED FOR ELECTIONS
(Al-Mada) - Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim said elections in the current situation are a good example of Iraqi good will and determination to get back its freedom and build up democracy. He asked all Iraqi people not to waste this historical opportunity to stand against the powers that aim at keeping Iraq in the darkness of dictatorship. He said security is the key for having a successful election. Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadrul Deen al-Qubanchi has meanwhile asked that people be educated about the importance of the elections through the religious institutes and the government organizations.

(Al-Mada is issued daily by Al-Mada institution for Media, Culture, and Arts.)

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