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Free press, free speech - a free nation

By Bashdar Ismaeel - posted Thursday, 15 June 2006


The many independent publications, including Time, Terozh and Bedirxan, are solely written by volunteers or journalism students, with an emphasis on promoting Kurdish culture and society than earning a living. Two new journalist unions have worked to bridge some of these gaps. Journalistic training is still lacking but is gradually improving.

The London-based institute for War and Peace Reporting (WPR), under a scheme designed to encourage freelance reporting, recently set up training courses in Arbil to teach objective news reporting and the ethics of journalism.

Importantly Kurdish media, particularly in Iraqi Kurdistan, has moved away from being embroiled in politics to concentrate on other subjects, such as culture, art and entertainment. A good sign of a productive press is variety and diversity and Kurdistan is slowly making progress.

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The advent of the Hewler Globe

The Hewler Globe, a weekly newspaper printed in Arbil, is unique in many ways. Not only does it aim to break away from traditional “red carpet” journalism, where tiptoeing beneath the lines of tolerance and fulfilling conservative expectations is common, but it is also the first English-based newspaper in Iraq. It aims to overcome many of the obstacles facing independent publications.

First, it is not party-sponsored and concentrates on a wide range of issues concerning the general public and not just the elite. With English increasingly spoken in the region, it reaches out to Kurds and also Assyrians, Turkmen and particularly Arabs. It is also a useful tool for Europeans and the Americans eager to read news and information about the region.

Most significantly, it has a credible international following and is available on the Internet. The Hewler Globe has attempted to plug the journalistic knowledge gap by relying on journalists and analysts in the diaspora. They are often well-known figures or have strong academic profiles; some may have fled the area due to oppression. However, the key weakness is that the non English-speaking Kurdish community has no access to this publication.

In conclusion, while the media has matured and flourished in a short space of time, the number of media sources is not necessarily an indication of a productive and independent press. The press is by no means censored to the extent seen across others parts of Kurdistan, but without greater financial assistance and journalistic training the media will remain impoverished.

Publications subsidised and reliant on the KDP or PUK for funding will not be as respected and comprehensive as their main party-based counterparts. Conversely, without party funding, an independent press will not survive.

Democracy and a flourishing media in the UK and the West took hundreds of years to develop, so credit must be given for the marked gains of Iraqi Kurdistan in such a short time. The foundations of an independent press have been laid, but there is still a long way to go.

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First published in the Hewler Globe on March 29, 2006.



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About the Author

Bashdar Pusho Ismaeel is a London-based freelance writer and analyst, whose primary focus and expertise is on the Kurds, Iraq and Middle Eastern current affairs. The main focus of his writing is to promote peace, justice and increase awareness of the diversity, suffering and at times explosive mix in Iraq and the Middle East.

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