Iraqi journalists coming of age, union chief says

Dubai: Iraqi media played a powerful role in the provincial elections held a week ago, indicating an improvement in the ability of the country's journalists, Moaid Al Lami, the president of the Iraqi Union of Journalists, said on Sunday.

Al Lami told Gulf News on the sidelines of the Dubai Conference for Launching the Initiative of Ethical Journalism that the wellbeing of the Iraqi media was improving and the role they played in the provincial elections "is a perfect example of this".

"In this election, the role of reporters was in many cases more important than that of politicians, as many [journalists] were monitoring the voting process closely and following the politicians closely. Iraqi media are starting to become the fourth power in the country," Al Lami said.

There are some 600 media organisations in Iraq, indicating that there is a high degree of pluralism and diversity in covering the news, he said. But at the same time, the organisations can contribute to sectarian rivalry, Al Lami added.

"Iraqi journalists have been subject to persecution in all its forms and many forces in the country are trying to deprive them of their rights and use them as a tool to instigate sectarian rivalry. While some have fallen into that trap, others stood up to the challenges and managed to be part of a healthier media environment that promotes tolerance," he said.

Since the US-led invasion, 294 Iraqi journalists have been killed and many more have been attacked and kidnapped, according to the Iraqi Union of Journalists.

Much work remains to be done if journalists are to be protected, Al Lami said, pointing out that a draft law proposal to protect journalist's rights submitted by the Iraqi Union of Journalists a year ago is still under discussion at parliament.