Everyone in Kurdistan is proud of saying that there’s no censorship here, that their media is free and independent. But poking around the edges of some small-time magazines in Erbil, I discovered something strange. From the smallest fry to the biggest fish, almost all media in Kurdistan is government-funded.
When I asked Karwan Abdula, editor of Caravan literary magazine (and a former communist) if government funding shaped his mag’s editorial ethos, he said no, of course not. But then, he added, we would never think of publishing anything critical of Kurdistan’s two major parties.
I ran this past the media bigwig in Erbil, Minister of Culture Sami Shorish, and he explained that while there are no laws restricting free speech, there is one important law restricting speech that isn’t free and never should be. “We provide freedom to media, provided the media doesn’t act in a slanderous way.“
And would criticizing the ruling parties entail slander? I asked Abdula.
Yes, he said.
In all of Kurdistan there is only one privately-financed newspaper, Hawlati, which has been an on-again off-again affair. Its editors come and go with shocking frequency. Sources tell me that there’s a lot of pressure on Hawlati on account of its independence. I’m trying to get in touch with the current editor to get his take.
To the Kurds, it seems, censorship ain’t censorship as long as you call it something else.
– David Axe
In Iraq, Free Press (Kinda, Sorta, Maybe)
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I’m reminded of a Palestinian newspaper editor who was asked to compare Israeli censorship and Palestinian censorship. He noted that when was under the Israelis, everything had to go through a censor, generally the same one, who was assigned to his paper. They knew each other and they would negotiate over what, exactly, was permitted, even when he was under house arrest.
Under the Palestinians, there was no censorship. They were quite proud of that. But if you published something the government didn’t like, they sent someone over to your house to break your legs.
He was saying this to note the difference between “official” censorship and “self-” censorship. He could argue with an official censor and try to push the limits of what was permitted. But self-censors don’t push the envelope because they don’t know where the edge is and the consequences of pushing too far are too great. The Kurdish politicians appear to have found that happy place where they control what is printed without the embarrassment of having to jail anyone.
Why just slam on the Kurds? There are other private news source such as the Al-Sharqiyah, and Azzaman which is owned by Saad Al-Bazzaz. Saad Al-Bazzaz is said to be recieving funds by Saudi Arabia. I am not sure about how Iran is involved, but I won’t be surprised if they were, or have been supporting Islamist news source such as the Muqtada Al Sadr’s Ishraqat Al-Sadr, and Ansar al-Mahdi. It’s not fair just to slam on the Kurds. The story is more than that, with many countries engaging in information warfare in Iraq.
Some news about Saudi Arabia’s involvement.
http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/headlines05/0126-04.htm
http://www.emjournal.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/aafeb002.html
P:
It’s just because Axe is in Iraq now. Don’t worry, he’s an equal-opportunity slammer! ;-)
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