Media practice in Iraq

About this book

Ahmed K. Al-Rawi offers a new insight into the Iraqi media during Saddam Hussein's rule and the post-2003 era. The arguments put forth are based on content analysis of TV newscasts, participant observation, questionnaires distributed to Iraqi journalists and interviews with Iraqi media experts. The book connects media practice with the political and social reality on the ground and provides new information on the way media outlets have operated in the past and present. Despite the dramatic political change after 2003, today's media in Iraq is polarised and continues to be controlled by the government or by political parties distinguished by ethnic or religious affiliations. The growing societal divisions are largely caused by these fragmented parties - this is reflected in the kind of media messages sent to the Iraqi public.