Free press, free speech - a free nation

With the commencement of talks about Turkish accession to the European Union, the lack of a free media and healthy journalism has come under much scrutiny. Under pressure, Turkey has promised more cultural rights and more liberal broadcasting services for its minorities. This, however, is still far from a free press. Understandably, a pro-Kurdish press would be detrimental to Turkey, reaching across the Kurdish homeland like wildfire.

The fate of Syrian Kurds, long forgotten and marginalised, has recently received well-publicised attention with the ever-increasing spotlight on the Bashar al-Assads Baathist regime. Journalism in Syria has been strangled in the midst of state-sponsored and controlled media. Iran has faired slightly better, but with pro-Kurdish journalists severely restricted, harassed and intimidated.

Moderate Kurdish or pro-state journalists are tolerated to some extent, but in truth a journalist without the freedom to speak out, is powerless. Syria perhaps has the greatest strides to make in allowing journalistic freedom, where just recently a journalism student was imprisoned for three years for posting some pictures of a peaceful demonstration on the Internet: a medium closely censored by the regime.

Journalism in Iraqi Kurdistan

There is no doubt that Kurdish fortunes took an exceptional turn after the first Gulf War in 1991. It marked the establishment of the first Kurdish autonomous region and essentially de facto independence. This heralded an era of freedom and prosperity unseen in any of the neighbouring countries, enabling Iraqi Kurdistan to become a model for the surrounding region. Suddenly thousands of men came down from fighting in the mountains to a new bloodless battleground, as the freedom of the nation also inevitably meant freedom of the press.

Today, they have gone from virtually nothing to a situation where there are scores of local television stations, three main satellite television channels and an estimated 200 publications. Crucially, these figures are not dominated by Kurdish sources and a number of outlets exist for Turkmen and Assyrian minorities in the region, as the Kurdish administrations have tried to create a montage of diversity within the region.

With the opening of the gateway to the outside world, journalists in Kurdistan are becoming better and can reach out to a wider audience. This along with the common use of English, which is fast becoming the second language in the Kurdish-administered region, ensures contact between journalists and other countries. This has served to strengthen the Kurdish cause even further and also offers the opportunity of showcasing the economic, strategic and historical potential of the region to the outside world. Domestically, journalism has served to reach out to the public and to reinforce nationalism and identity.

However, Iraqi Kurdistan is governed by two separate administrations, dominated by the KDP (Kurdish Democrat Party) and PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) respectively. This has essentially served to monopolise some of the press freedoms and as a result means most publications are required to be registered and approved by the government under the old Iraqi Law of Associations. They are “filtered” to ensure compliance to party principles and ideals.

With the regions governed by the KDP and PUK, it is understandable that the media would be dominated by both parties, essentially protecting and placating the parties in each administration. For example, the only two dailies are the KDP’s Xabat and PUK’s Kurdistani Nuwe. Along with numerous weekly and monthly publications, each has popular and highly successful satellite channels broadcasting to the Kurdish community.

Until a more productive and wide-ranging economy can be sustained, long-term investment in publications will be difficult, as there are few individuals in a position to buy a newspaper. Free enterprise has been promoted extensively by both the KDP and the PUK but, at present, most finances are controlled by either party.

Furthermore, although post-1991 has witnessed an educational boom with a somewhat wiser and more knowledgeable youth, Kurdish prosperity both in general and in the press can only be strengthened by the public taking greater interest in developments in Iraqi Kurdistan and in greater Kurdistan.

Despite this, last year witnessed a number of promising independent publications springing up - the long-term survival of these, however, is uncertain. Most struggle due to lack of adequate equipment, finances and trained journalists.

The state of journalism

Journalism has taken great strides since the days of the Saddam regime, where journalism was largely underground and not an established profession. However, journalism in Kurdistan is still under development and many sources in Kurdistan rely on the extensive knowledge of the Kurdish diaspora.