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Kurdish press struggles for independence
25.4.2008
By Dany As’ad
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April 25, 2008
The Kurdish press is continuing to struggle for its
independence despite the huge advances that have
been made over recent years. Today the ties between
publications and their sponsors are being
increasingly questioned as some journalists seek to
obtain greater rights of expression.
While the first Kurdish language publication - an
independent newspaper Kurdistan - was launched in
Cairo in 1898, it is only in recent years that the
Kurdish press has seen real growth.
To date, the press has for the most part been
affiliated with political parties.
Adnan Othman, editor in chief of the independent
Roznama daily newspaper, established after the fall
of Saddam Hussein,www.ekurd.net
says that Kurdish
journalism was “100 percent affiliated with
political parties in the 1990s. It remained so for
years and was used as a tool to improve the parties’
image.”
Today, however, new independent publications are
sprouting across Kurdistan and providing a new
source of information free, they say, of political
pressure.
Abde Aref, editor in chief of Hawlati points to the
launch of his paper in 2000 as the first independent
newspaper in Kurdistan as a key turning point in the
history of Kurdish journalism. Since that point many
other independent newspapers and magazines have been
established.
According to Ahmad Mira, editor of Lvin magazine,
“the emergence of independent journalism has changed
the ugly face of Kurdish journalism whose role was
limited to glorifying the role of political parties
and promoting their ideas.”
But, independent journalists say they are continuing
to face political pressure that is limiting their
freedom. Zirk Kamal, the head of the committee for
the defence of journalists’ rights at the Kurdistan
Journalists Union, says that sharp tensions exist
between party affiliated and independent
journalists.
Some journalists say corruption is the source of the
problem. According to Suran Omar, an independent
journalists and editor in chief of the Kurdistan
News Site, “Kurdish authorities know that
administrative corruption is on the rise… and this
is why the authorities are afraid of independent
journalists.”
But while independent journalist accuse
politically-affiliated journalists of being party
stooges defending corruption and malpractice,
employees from political outlets make counter-claims
saying that independent publications are also
controlled by outside forces.
Aza Qaradaghi, a member of the central information
office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), says
that “there is not one single independent newspaper
in Kurdistan,” saying that all publications are
“supported by parties or political personalities who
provide them with the necessary funding.” Qaradaghi
says that at least political newspapers are clear
regarding their allegiance,www.ekurd.net
whereas “privately owned
newspapers claim independence but one cannot believe
them at all.”
Recently, a new media law was proposed by parliament
that threatened to restrict freedom of expression,
say critics. According to the draft law, issues
related to national security and public sector are
excluded from the guarantee of freedom of speech
which is otherwise safe-guarded by the law.
As a result of pressure from journalists, Massoud
Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, refused
to sign the law and it was returned to parliament
for further discussion.
“The rejection of the law was a step towards putting
an end to a dangerous pace which aimed at
restricting journalistic freedom in Kurdistan,” said
Shwan Muhammad, editor in chief of Awene.
Journalists now hope that the law will be amended to
guarantee their independence, thus paving the way
for more professional Kurdish journalism free of
outside interference.
“The coming phase will witness important
developments if a media law is issued in Kurdistan
that guarantees freedom of opinion and expression,”
said Abdul Aref, expressing his hopes for the new
law.
For most observers, there is still a long way to go
in cementing the gains recently achieved and making
the Kurdish media sector more professional.
Kurdish media has “made huge paces since the 1991
uprising regarding quantity and quality of printing
and high technology,” but “unfortunately all media
outlets and newspapers, the independent as well as
the party-owned ones, are still far below the
standards we want to achieve,” said Fattah Zakhway,
from the central information office at the Kurdistan
Toilers’ Party.
Copyright, respective author or news agency, Dany
As’ad | niqash org
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