A comparative study of the production practices of the mass media of a country in conflict, Iraq
Based on:
PhD Thesis (2020)
This research is a comparative study of two of Iraq’s leading media platforms (in terms of reach) newsroom practices, which is the government broadcaster and the main privately owned, leading television channel, Al Sharqiya.
Brief by:
I conducted ethnographic research, spending time in both newsrooms and interviewing journalists, editors, and media practitioners from both organisations.
There has been a lot of work in Iraq, particularly in media or journalism, that relies on content analysis. For example, there have been many studies of media coverage in Iraq that look at international media’s coverage of the Iraqi conflict. However, there’s been very little work that not only understands media from an Iraqi perspective and the impact on the Iraqi journalists, but also includes qualitative research and ethnographic research. This type of research allows researchers to take the time to actually observe newsroom practices and be part of that newsroom as a participant observer, and not just in Iraq, but in the MENA region as a whole.
This research contributes to the understanding of newsrooms and journalism practices in the region and specifically in Iraq. There was a real lack of this kind of work, and it was important to start to unpick the experiences of Iraqi journalists in order to inform strategies going forward. Although this research is an academic piece, it includes knowledge and insights that are very important for the policy world.
Key findings
In the case of the public broadcaster, practices were still informed by those under the current regime, compromising journalism ethics such as accuracy and sourcing.
The role of the public media was still to support the government's framing and narrative of events. The Head of News would receive phone calls from the Prime Minister to complain about the way stories have been covered.
In the case of Al Sharqiya, because the newsroom was based in London and most of the journalists were diaspora Iraqis, they were using tactics associated with media activists, rather than journalists.
They relied heavily on social media platforms and covert methods to gather content. Al-Sharqiya was one of the few channels covering protests in public spaces in Iraq, reflecting their position against the dominant government narrative.
There was very little motivation or political will for change in the media and to support independent media.
This is unsurprising considering the current situation of the media, which supports those in power.
Proposed action
In order to have a functioning space, there needs to be more truly independent platforms
Journalists must create independent content that serves the public interest
Universities and colleges have a role to prepare the future of journalists
It is not just about reforming legislation and laws, but also about reforming the banking system and dealing with corruption, ensuring that it can facilitate the provision of independent funding to new platforms
Helpful resources
Example: Jummar [Access resource]
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to KPSRL
These insights were made available thanks to the support of KPSRL, who are committed to the dissemination of knowledge for all.
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A comparative study of the production practices of the mass media of a country in conflict, Iraq
Cite this brief: Al Kaisy, Aida. 'A comparative study of the production practices of the mass media of a country in conflict, Iraq'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/a-comparative-study-of-the-production-practices-of-the-mass-media-of-a-country-in-conflict-iraq/
Brief created by: Dr Aida Al Kaisy | Year brief made:
Original research:
- Al Kaisy, A., A comparative study of the production practices of the mass media of a country in conflict, Iraq. –
Research brief:
This research is a comparative study of two of Iraq’s leading media platforms (in terms of reach) newsroom practices, which is the government broadcaster and the main privately owned, leading television channel, Al Sharqiya.
I conducted ethnographic research, spending time in both newsrooms and interviewing journalists, editors, and media practitioners from both organisations.
There has been a lot of work in Iraq, particularly in media or journalism, that relies on content analysis. For example, there have been many studies of media coverage in Iraq that look at international media’s coverage of the Iraqi conflict. However, there’s been very little work that not only understands media from an Iraqi perspective and the impact on the Iraqi journalists, but also includes qualitative research and ethnographic research. This type of research allows researchers to take the time to actually observe newsroom practices and be part of that newsroom as a participant observer, and not just in Iraq, but in the MENA region as a whole.
This research contributes to the understanding of newsrooms and journalism practices in the region and specifically in Iraq. There was a real lack of this kind of work, and it was important to start to unpick the experiences of Iraqi journalists in order to inform strategies going forward. Although this research is an academic piece, it includes knowledge and insights that are very important for the policy world.
Findings:
In the case of the public broadcaster, practices were still informed by those under the current regime, compromising journalism ethics such as accuracy and sourcing.
The role of the public media was still to support the government’s framing and narrative of events. The Head of News would receive phone calls from the Prime Minister to complain about the way stories have been covered.
In the case of Al Sharqiya, because the newsroom was based in London and most of the journalists were diaspora Iraqis, they were using tactics associated with media activists, rather than journalists.
They relied heavily on social media platforms and covert methods to gather content. Al-Sharqiya was one of the few channels covering protests in public spaces in Iraq, reflecting their position against the dominant government narrative.
There was very little motivation or political will for change in the media and to support independent media.
This is unsurprising considering the current situation of the media, which supports those in power.
Advice:
In order to have a functioning space, there needs to be more truly independent platforms
- But there’s no (or very little) funding for independent journalism and media in Iraq.
Journalists must create independent content that serves the public interest
- But a lot of money has been put into capacity building – and this hasn’t worked. So the international community needs to help find a disruptive way to provide this.
Universities and colleges have a role to prepare the future of journalists
- Universities should offer internships, mentoring programmes, and provide ongoing support to independent media platforms, so that those young journalists can start to work on those independent platforms. But changing practice will take time.
It is not just about reforming legislation and laws, but also about reforming the banking system and dealing with corruption, ensuring that it can facilitate the provision of independent funding to new platforms
- Currently political parties perceive media platforms as another form of power, which means the majority of media platforms are funded by political actors. And the only existing media that might be considered to be independent is funded by the international community, which is not the solution. There needs to be independent funding coming from within Iraq in addition to from the region and international community.