« NCMC Adopts Written Code of Practice for Broadcast Media | Main | Media body chief talks about press guidelines »
July 27, 2004
Iraq sets up committee to impose restrictions on news reporting
Financial Times
By Nicolas Pelham in Baghdad
Published: July 27 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: July 27 2004 5:00
Iyad Allawi, Iraq's prime minister, has established a media committee to impose restrictions on print and broadcast media, a government official announced yesterday. The step underlines an aggressive new attitude towards press freedoms, in spite of US efforts to nurture independent media.
Ibrahim Janabi, appointed to head the new Higher Media Commission, told the FT the restrictions - known as "red lines" - had yet to be finalised, but would include unwarranted criticism of the prime minister. He singled out last Friday's sermon by Moqtada al-Sadr, a firebrand Shia cleric, who mocked Mr Allawi as America's "tail".
Outlets that broadcast the sermon could be banned, he said.
The formation of Mr Janabi's committee appears to mark a step back from Washington's democratic vision for postwar Iraq. Before last month's handover of sovereignty, US officials boasted that Iraq enjoyed the Arab world's least regulated media. One of Paul Bremer's first acts as US administrator was to abolish the information ministry, prompting a profusion of non-government newspapers, radio stations and television stations to emerge.
Mr Janabi said his committee would soon relocate to the old information ministry building, which is undergoing refurbishment.
Many of the old information ministry's 5,000 former employees have welcomed Mr Janabi's commission as a first step to regaining their jobs axed by Mr Bremer. One of Mr Janabi's first decisions was to extend payment of their salaries to last month.
But Mr Janabi sought to damp fears that he was reviving the old pre-war information ministry, which controlled all media outlets in Iraq before the US-led invasion. He said he would not introduce minders for foreign journalists, but there would be a voluntary registration process.
The measures come amid growing government nervousness that Arab satellite channels are giving publicity to Iraq's rebel groups. Yesterday Iraq's foreign minister, Hosheyr Zebari, denounced the Arabic satellite channel, al-Jazeera, which has broadcast video recordings it received from insurgents.
"In a difficult security situation, we need to fight the terrorists by all means, and one of the main means is the media. We need them all to co-operate, even the private sector. It's for national security," said Mr Janabi, a former Iraqi intelligence officer who for a decade served as Mr Allawi's eyes and ears in neighbouring Jordan, but has never worked as a journalist. "The red lines must be very clear. Whenever we find someone endangering national security, we will give notes to our legal committee that they are breaking the rules," he said.
Noting that al-Jazeera broadcast part of Mr Sadr's anti-Allawi sermon, he warned: "If they do it again, we will give them two weeks to correct the policy, and after that we will tell them sorry we need to close your office."
He also said that an independent media and communication committee established by Mr Bremer to regulate the broadcast media would continue to operate, although subject to his higher commission's advice.
The coalition-appointed board of governors for the state broadcaster, Iraqia, was also being absorbed into his committee, Mr Janabi said, although under pressure from London and Washington final arrangements have yet to be ironed out.
Harris, the American contractor chosen by the Coalition Provisional Authority to run Iraqia, could also lose its $96m (€79m, £52m) annual contract, if its broadcasts wavered from "the targets we want", said Mr Janabi.
A current affairs editor at Iraqia, who requested anonymity, criticised the move: "I am afraid we will now be a channel controlled by the state," he said, "all the signs are they want to use this as their mouthpiece."
Opposition politicians also attacked the new body, saying that Mr Allawi had established committees for oil and security, as well as the media, in a bid to get total control of the state machinery.
Allies of Mr Allawi, however, pointed to his decision last week to reverse a US-led coalition ban on Mr Sadr's newspaper, al-Hauza, as evidence of his commitment to press freedom.
Posted by Vanessa Hetherington on July 27, 2004 at 02:47 PM in Higher Media Commission, Press freedom | Permalink
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.stanhopecentre.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/102
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Iraq sets up committee to impose restrictions on news reporting:
» nubiles hegre galleries from nice hot shemale
sexy very hot [Read More]
Tracked on March 26, 2006 11:01 AM
» kelly blue book from kelly blue book
kelly blue book [Read More]
Tracked on April 2, 2006 08:32 PM
» discounted airline tickets from discounted airline tickets
discounted airline tickets [Read More]
Tracked on April 6, 2006 01:34 AM
» Insurance from Insurance
All types of Insurance :-: Insurance , Affordable Insurance:: Insurance [Read More]
Tracked on April 6, 2006 11:42 AM
» game parts from game parts
game parts [Read More]
Tracked on April 9, 2006 01:45 AM
» Home Insurance from Home Insurance
All types of Insurance Home Insurance , Free Ringtones :-: Ringtones [Read More]
Tracked on April 9, 2006 01:12 PM
» some amateur babes from nice hot femme nikki free hegre
hentai nubiles femme nikki free hegre amazing free pics [Read More]
Tracked on April 13, 2006 12:29 PM
» calling.... from ....
....
[Read More]
Tracked on April 21, 2006 12:03 AM
» call.... from ....
....
[Read More]
Tracked on April 23, 2006 08:32 PM
» satellite from satellite
satellite [Read More]
Tracked on April 24, 2006 09:29 PM
» Free Ring Tones from Free Ring Tones
Free Ring Tones , Ringtones:: Download Free Ringtones [Read More]
Tracked on April 27, 2006 12:28 PM
» azh.... from ....
....
[Read More]
Tracked on May 6, 2006 05:19 AM
» Ring tones from Ring tones
Ringtone Free Ringtones is a niceblog. [Read More]
Tracked on May 7, 2006 12:01 AM
» air plant from air plant
air plant [Read More]
Tracked on May 9, 2006 09:16 AM
» welbutrin from welbutrin sr
welbutrin xl [Read More]
Tracked on May 11, 2006 07:15 PM
» city employees credit union from city employees credit union
city employees credit union [Read More]
Tracked on May 21, 2006 12:13 AM
» phentermine long term from phentermine long term
phentermine long term [Read More]
Tracked on May 23, 2006 11:44 PM
» worldwide isp from worldwide isp
worldwide isp [Read More]
Tracked on May 24, 2006 08:04 PM
» cox internet from cox internet
cox internet [Read More]
Tracked on May 26, 2006 01:19 PM
» buy cheap phentermine from buy cheap phentermine
chea9 9henterm1ne cheap phentermine site [Read More]
Tracked on May 31, 2006 03:19 AM
» cheap phentermine from cheap phentermine
NewPhen1787xo05 cheap phentermine site [Read More]
Tracked on June 2, 2006 04:07 AM
» phentermine from phentermine
Only if You interested: diet pills online PHE00098766NTER [Read More]
Tracked on June 14, 2006 10:20 AM
» comics naked sex characters from comics naked sex characters
comics naked sex characters [Read More]
Tracked on June 18, 2006 04:46 PM
» cheap xenical from cheap xenical
cheap xenical XENALOTTR020200 [Read More]
Tracked on June 26, 2006 11:29 AM
» buy xenical online from buy xenical online
buy xenical online XENALOTTR010100 [Read More]
Tracked on June 26, 2006 01:39 PM
» debt consolidation from debt consolidation
Find debt consolidation online [Read More]
Tracked on September 4, 2006 11:14 PM
» car florida in insurance rate from car florida in insurance rate
car florida in insurance rate [Read More]
Tracked on September 11, 2006 02:20 PM
» car florida in insurance rate from car florida in insurance rate
car florida in insurance rate [Read More]
Tracked on September 11, 2006 02:20 PM
» Windows Hosting from Windows Hosting
Windows Hosting [Read More]
Tracked on October 13, 2006 05:51 AM
» business degree from business degree
college degreecollege degree online [Read More]
Tracked on November 9, 2006 05:47 AM
» IeriWinner_63 from IeriWinner_63
HI! I've have similar topic at my blog! Please check it..
Thanks.
[url=http://www.google.com][/url]
http://www.google.com [Read More]
Tracked on December 9, 2006 08:59 PM
» compagnie assurance vie from compagnie assurance vie
Do not the smallest alteration in her secrets, for several days' sail from Clawbonny. [Read More]
Tracked on January 8, 2007 07:43 AM
» cheap fioricet price from cheap fioricet price
??????? [Read More]
Tracked on February 28, 2007 04:30 AM
» carisoprodol from carisoprodol
??????? [Read More]
Tracked on March 1, 2007 02:44 AM
» more adult dvd sales information from more adult dvd sales information
More to adult dvd sales me http://adultdvd-sales.myblogvoice.com say adore. Adult dvd sales I the ad... [Read More]
Tracked on March 7, 2007 05:35 PM
» anti aging anti wrinkle creams from collagen pills
collagen face lotion aveeno tinted moisturizer helioderm moisturizer lotion [Read More]
Tracked on January 11, 2010 03:08 AM
» what foods can be eaten with false teeth from pageant false teeth
teeth whitening orange county professional teeth bleaching my teeth wont bleach white [Read More]
Tracked on January 14, 2010 12:19 PM
» telecommute data entry from data entry from home
data entry speed test data entry clerk free data entry jobs [Read More]
Tracked on January 15, 2010 05:55 PM
» steve reeves weight training routine from discount weight lifting supplements
local bodybuilding competitions origin of the term keep your chin up torn quadriceps muscle [Read More]
Tracked on January 16, 2010 05:48 AM
» child brushing teeth coloring pages from child brushing teeth coloring pages
clean your teeth with cheddar cheese politicians with bad teeth teeth whitening products [Read More]
Tracked on January 17, 2010 06:28 PM
» bulk cigarette tobacco from bulk cigarette tobacco
chewing tobacco and kentucky long term effects from tobacco use during pregnancy skoal smokeless tobacco [Read More]
Tracked on January 18, 2010 04:29 PM
» how to make money placing classified ads online from how to make money placing classified ads online
make money online sneaky ways to make money online make money online with affiliate program [Read More]
Tracked on January 19, 2010 01:08 AM
» ringtone software for iden phones from ringtone software for iden phones
'how to make mp3s into ringtones on lg dare phone' free ringtones for mobile phone motorola ringtone maker [Read More]
Tracked on January 19, 2010 09:54 AM
» free download ringtone from free download ringtone
ringtones that you can download for free getting ringtones on verizon phones download free ringtones for sanyo [Read More]
Tracked on January 22, 2010 08:14 PM
» ways for teens to make money online from make money online no fee
learn how to make money online make money online years old make money instantly online [Read More]
Tracked on January 23, 2010 06:42 AM
» male celebrity smoking list from dangers of smoking
facts on smoking while pregnant kids site web image filters eye health safe animal smoking the easy way to quit smoking [Read More]
Tracked on January 23, 2010 07:42 PM
» teeth whitening san diego from how does a veterinarian clean a small dog's teeth
white teeth instantly south jersey teeth whitening why do cats teeth go bad [Read More]
Tracked on January 25, 2010 03:29 PM