The cradle
of civilizations and the home of the first cities, the home of Hammurabi, the
man who set the first laws in history to a country ruled by chaos, and the
first law is murder and intimidation.
This is the
Iraq that we are witnessing in the past few years, Iraq suffered from
colonialism and then the rule of the Baathists, which curbed the freedoms of
all citizens and banned all kinds of media except the government media, whose
mission was to polish the image of the rulers.
Iraq and its
Problems
Iraq has
witnessed human disasters since the period of the US invasion until now, as
Iraq has since turned into a country of militias and gangs that rule areas
where the security forces are weak or missing, and they carry out their
criminal operations in areas of government influence.
Over the
years, Iraqi leaders have been unable to Ensuring stability for the country as
the leaders in Iraq are supported by external parties and are led from there.
The media in
Iraq suffers as the whole country suffers from chaos and sabotage, as well as
the media suffers from chaos and sabotage.There are hundreds of newspapers and
television channels in Iraq, but they are restricted and do not effectively
play their role.
Analysts
argue that, because of the crises that the country is going through and because
of the political or sectarian orientations of these newspapers and channels are
prevented from the practice of its work by officials opposed to them or leaders
loyal to foreign countries.
Media and
Its Role
The media is
used in all aspects of the daily life of individuals, from economic to
political to entertainment to sports. This article will focus more on politics
and society.
As the media
is the mechanism that determines the usefulness of the work of governments,
monitors the work of these governments, reaches out to citizens, and
contributes to the development of society or further sabotage it, as happened
in Iraq during 2006.
Free media
and its freedom contribute to the citizens' participation in decision-making
and do not provide the government with the opportunity to unilaterally make
decisions, as the media plays a role in accepting or rejecting the decision by
the citizens.
The media
contribute to the development of society through the awareness campaigns it
publishes and pushes the youth in particular to work on developing and
improving the performance of their country as the media educates individuals
about the problems facing their country.
The second
most dangerous country for journalists, as according to the International
Committee to Protect Journalists report, nearly 500 journalists were killed in
Iraq from 2003 to 2017, which poses a threat to the freedom of the press in the
country
The
journalist in Iraq is under great pressure despite the fact that the Iraqi
constitution and laws support a free media presence in the country led by
independents.
But the
independent journalist has become easy prey for the militias that follow a
certain sect or political party.
Journalists
in Iraq are afraid to talk about topics that contribute to informing citizens
of the problems they face or the crimes that militias and their leaders make or
the politicians loyal to them
Intellectuals
in the country are familiar with the problems of journalists, whose
assassinations increased due to their opinions and mention of crimes committed
by the elite or gangs, especially after the youth revolution in 2019, when the
campaign of assassinations of journalists and their kidnapping increased.
Different Bet
Iraq and KRG
The
Kurdistan region of Iraq, which is part of Iraq, but is considered a safer and
more stable region than other regions of Iraq, and freedoms and independence
are greater than its counterpart in Iraq.
Media
freedom does not differ much between the two parties, as the media in the
region is often affiliated with the two largest parties, the Democratic Party
and the National Party. Independent media and journalists also suffer from attacks
and criticism from the government, which is also divided between the two ruling
parties.
But the
journalist does not fear for his life in the region, unlike Iraq, which
threatens the journalist’s life.
The region
provides security and stability to the journalist, but if his views are outside
the wishes of the controllers, he is criticized and his reputation in the media
is distorted or he is prevented from participating in important political
events by the security forces.
The region
has witnessed the exodus of hundreds of Iraqi journalists to its lands and the
presentation of their contents to the citizens from the lands of the region. As
there are many famous Iraqi channels and have many audiences operating from the
region as it is safer for them.
Media to Where
Today, the
Iraqi journalist practices their work outside the borders of their country or
in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, as the policy of silencing is the law that
governs the work of journalists in the country.
The killing
and violence faced by the journalist in the country are all conditions that
have turned into almost a lack of freedom of information and expression in the
country or a transformation Channels to follow leaders, parties, or militias.
Media
freedom in the country is on the verge of an important The journalist does not know
if his opinion will meet the approval of militias and parties or it will be the
way to end his life.
We have come
to see channels in Iraq that do not know anything about the media, but rather
provide negative and sectarian content that encourages violence.
Edited by –
Adrija Saha
Social