Iraqi journalists live with uncertainty, never knowing when threats to their lives and livelihoods might be carried out. Dozens of journalists in Iraq, such as Atwar Bahjat and Ali Amjad Hamid, have been killed since 2003.
Politician and academic Laith Shubbar told Al-Monitor, “Political parties control media outlets and use them to disseminate their views and policies. Thus, journalists who work for such institutions have to be loyal to these political parties. Meanwhile, independent journalists face a difficult time finding work and therefore they are currently living in a state of destitution and poverty.”
Saleh Sayed Baqar, a writer and journalist at Alam satellite channel, told Al-Monitor that some journalists are responsible for what is happening to them. “Some of them go as far as to publish fabricated and incorrect information, looking for a scoop. When they are legally prosecuted, they claim via social media that they have been restricted to practice their press freedom and are repressed,” he said.
Interviews Al-Monitor has conducted make it clear that writers and journalists are divided about the extent of their press freedoms and the harassments they face in Iraq.
Reporter and political analyst Kamel al-Kanani told Al-Monitor that, in his experience, "in Iraq, there is a free and open media platform."
He added, “I own a satirical column where I deride so many political figures and call for change, and I have never been threatened."
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