IMS strengthens media programme in Iraq

In a move to strengthen a media sector fractured by identity politics, International Media Support is expanding its current programme in Iraq

The multifaceted programme in support of media in Iraq brings together journalists across sectarian lines for training and professional collaboration over a three year period.

Partnering political enemies

Media partners in Iraq will work with IMS to promote journalist safety, develop media houses and improve the distributive capabilities of newspapers, among other goals.

Programme Coordinator Osama al-Hababeh commented on the unique collaboration:

“The new programme focuses on how we can help in supporting and empowering independent media in Iraq. Though our partners are political enemies, we are pushing them to cooperate on common problems and focus on agreements between them. Thus, the programme has a factor of conflict resolving”.

Already, the IMS Iraq programme has made progress towards conflict resolution with an unprecedented partnership between rival newspapers to share distribution services. Spanning Kurdish, Sunni, Shiite, Christian and Arab media outlets, this association of media professionals will serve as the foundation for IMS’ new project in Iraq.

Occupational hazards

Experienced journalists have fled Iraq in droves to escape targeted killings and, in doing so, created a vacuum of media expertise. The remaining independent media struggle to practice their trade in a deteriorating security situation with limited opportunities for training. Along with safety training for journalists, IMS plans to encourage exchange between the Media Colleges in Iraq and Danish journalism schools to address these dual obstacles.

In a country plagued by ethno-religious division and proxy wars, the media plays a key role in advancing development. It has the power to form opinions and mobilize atmospheres of consensus or discord. For this reason, IMS has launched this programme  to build media professionalism and advance the role of media as a watchdog in Iraqi society.

IMS in Iraq

IMS has been actively supporting Iraqi media since 2005, where a group of Iraqi media representatives visited Denmark. This led IMS to carry out a two year twinning (partnering) programme between four Danish newspapers and one news agency and eleven Iraqi media outlet representatives.The Iraqi journalists were trained in basic and advanced journalism and partnered with Danish journalists to work together on joint projects or articles, both at a journalistic and an editorial level. One outcome of the programme was the signing of an MoU towards the establishment of common distribution mechanisms and joint approaches to advertising markets.

Read more about media cooperation and the challenges facing print media in Iraq here.