Journalism in Iraq: A way to die

Baghdad: Fear rules the media scene in Iraq. Many journalists and media people do not sleep in their houses, and prefer to stay incognito, for fear of being assassinated.

This has become a way of life for journalists, whether they are Iraqis, Arabs or foreigners.

Perhaps Iraqi journalists never celebrated the freedom they gained after the collapse of the previous regime, which limited their freedom to a bare minimum.

Journalists now may have to pay the price of practising this freedom with their lives taken away by a bullet in the head.

They also run the risk of being kidnapped, murdered, and their bodies dumped, as the murderers of Atwar Bahjat, Al Arabia TV's correspondent, did last week.

Halim Al Araji, Secretary-General of the Journalist Protection Association in Iraq, told Gulf News that journalism is no longer the profession of truth. For those who work in Iraq, it has become the profession of death.

Enemies"The threat to the lives of journalists is not limited to terrorists. Threats come from several quarters such as the militias, parties, the American forces and even some Iraqi government elements, which may want to settle their scores with the journalist who chose to write with neutrality, freedom and professionalism," he said.

Al Araji expects violence against journalists to increase with the political and security crisis, as each party wants the journalist to be on its side, or face death.

More than 70 journalists lost their lives while covering events in the country, and most of them are Iraqis. Some Arab and foreign journalists were also killed. Some preferred to leave Iraq, while others chose to stay in luxurious hotels that are guarded by American and Iraqi forces, and cover the events from behind fortified walls.

Abdul Hadi Mahdi, Editor of the Iraqi Al Ittihad daily in Baghdad, told Gulf News: "Many Western media left Iraq, although the country is the cynosure of media attention. However, Iraqi journalists will never put their pens down on real issues for fear of death or abduction."

Mahdi accused the Iraqi government of being lax in providing protection and security for journalists.

He said the murder of journalists does not necessarily reflect a political cause. Most murders take place because the journalist attempted to reveal the truth, which is not something many parties like.

Mohammad Qabbani, Chief Correspondent of Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) in Baghdad, told Gulf News that journalists who cover political news are potential targets since the previous regime collapsed in April 2003.

"Atwar Bahjat will not be the last among martyr journalists in Iraq. There will be more, and it will not end here," said Qabbani.

What the journalists fear most is the threat of becoming a scapegoat of political conflicts, in which they have no role to play. Many of them also refuse to accept the protection of the US or Iraqi forces, for fear of being branded their agents.

Mohammad Najm, Iraq Satellite TV correspondent, said: "Some Iraqi journalists are threatened because of their sectarian identities such as Shiite or Sunni. They also cannot move freely in conflict zones. There are some areas which journalists are prohibited from entering simply because they are extremely dangerous, and if any journalist wants to visit those places, he has to take military forces along with him for protection."

- The writer is an Arab journalist based in Baghdad