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My Fully Realized Project: An Op-Ed on Iraq's Media History
Welcome to an interactive presentation of my op-ed piece! Instead of linking a document with a linear reading of my work, I decided to break up its content below using excerpts juxtaposed with archival media so you can experience a visual glimpse of the media landscape I explore. I hope you enjoy!
01
What sparked my interest
I often joke with my mom about her fervent distrust in virtually any news she hears– from any source. And until recently, I thought she was just a skeptical person. After a conversation with her about her life growing up in Iraq, I learned it was actually a result of developing trust issues– not from her parents or a partner, but her president.
02
Meet the leader
Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s president from 1979-2003, was known for his ruthless approach in governing. We often hear he ruled the country with an iron fist, trampling anyone or anything that he perceived to be a threat to his rule. The media was no exception. The legacy of systematic suppression of information imposed by the Baath regime, led by Saddam, could be bitterly felt by the people and seen in efforts to institutionalize a space for independent Iraqi media.
Thomas Dworzak Screen shots of Iraqi TV. Baghdad, Iraq. October 2002. © Thomas Dworzak | Magnum Photos
Eleanor Roosevelt holds up a copy of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in December 1948.
03
Before Proceeding: The Bigger Picture
In this piece, I attempt to trace the root transformation from a single to a multi-media landscape Iraq experienced following the toppling of Saddam's rule. While this may read as a historical recount of policy change, or a cautionary tale (if you are an avid fan of free information), and I do intend this in part– what I hope to be taken away is that freedom of expression/speech/information are not a black and white concept where you either have them or you do not. To this day, the interpretation of these internationally recognized human rights are not universally applied in societies, with governments regulating them in different ways and people responding to regulations in different ways as well. While I will allow the following paragraphs to serve as a cautionary tale of what unchecked government power can do, keep in the back of your mind today’s media landscape and limitations to its freedom.
04
Control Tactics
Media Iraqis were allowed to engage with under the Ba’ath regime was limited to state controlled sources, with only five state-owned news agencies and a single government channel. Satellite dishes were banned in households and systematic suppression of any alternative voices through violence was codified by law. These restrictions not only helped in maintaining control, but also in his attempt to enforce the active support of all Iraqis for his political projects– i.e. propaganda.
Thomas Dworzak Screen shots of Iraqi TV. Baghdad, Iraq. October 2002. © Thomas Dworzak | Magnum Photos
Translation: "Yes my dear"
Thomas Dworzak Screen shots of Iraqi TV. Baghdad, Iraq. October 2002. © Thomas Dworzak | Magnum Photos
05
Only go so Far
The power of propaganda, like the power of the Ba’ath party, was great. Power does not imply absolute control, however, as a ban on satellite dishes did not prevent Iraqis from accessing radio broadcasts in secret. My grandma had a radio in their kitchen which they would listen to everyday during the Iran-Iraq war for updates on its progress and casualties, drowning out the gloating patriotic songs on TV.
06
Recounting Saddam's invasion
“At last the truth prevails and our enemies fall, Saddam has taken Kuwait!” heard my mom on national television January 17, 1991. She recalls that day vividly. She was at her best friend Sarah’s house where confusion dwelled in the air. As they heard patriotic songs play on television, the older men of the family were turning the buttons on the radio to hear from a London based radio broadcast. Saddam had invaded Kuwait, but she did not understand why. “We were allies with Kuwait, why would we invade a country we were in cooperation with?”she wondered. Nonetheless, as the national broadcast would spew to citizens born into the regime’s rule, Iraq was acting in the interest of the Iraqi people so the only appropriate response to Saddam’s invasion was a feeling of pride— at least that is what she was conditioned to think.
Galesburg Register-Mail
The April 9, 2003 file photo shows Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers pulling down a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad.
07
Point of the System's Demise
Given the state’s centralized ownership of all media, there was no regulation of the media independent of the government, and no legal protections for the profession. Following the 2003 Iraq War, the restrictions placed by the Ba’ath on public discourse disappeared overnight and many newspapers, radio stations, and television networks surfaced. That meant that after the fall of the regime, the regulatory framework had to be built from scratch. Even after dismantling the repressive system, its presence was felt.
08
Interim Period
The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), led by the United States, took over the licensing of broadcasters temporarily and the process was often disorganized. The mechanism through which the CPA initially collected and recorded fees was ad hoc and ignored common financial controls. Additionally, some broadcasters received licenses without supplying even the most basic information about their operations, funding, staffing and program schedules.
Coalition Provisional Authority CPA - Iraq. United States, 2004. Web Archive. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0011754/.
Logo of the Communications and Media Commission
09
Configuring a New System
In 2004, the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) was created by an order issued by the CPA. Order 65 gave the CMC exclusive authority to license and regulate telecommunications, broadcasting and information services in Iraq. The order also required CMC to encourage freedom of expression of the press in its rules and the constitution ratified in 2005 codified basic guarantees of this freedom.
10
New Freedoms: Worth Celebration?
While allowing access to satellite dishes was a much-needed step in the right direction, it was also the bare minimum. I do not write this to celebrate how far Iraq has come following totalitarian rule. The case, as is with any case involving the attempted implementation of Democracy, is not that simple. Iraq did not go from no freedom of expression and information to having those freedoms guaranteed in effect (as enshrined by law). If put on a scale, the extent of these freedoms would no doubt be much greater than that under Saddam, but that does not imply the country does well. In fact, there have been well documented suppressions of these freedoms.
A woman holds up a banner during an anti-government protest in Baghdad in February 2020 saying "The pen is our weapon, the book is our shield, the thought is our power."
(c) 2020 REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani
11
Revisiting the Bigger Picture
This is exactly what I mean when I say these freedoms are not black and white. Sure, there may be good reasons to restrict freedoms under certain circumstances, like protecting public health, but what we have seen across the world and time, is that governments are incentivized to restrict these freedoms in consolidating and maintaining power. Thus, keeping an open, critical eye towards government policy regulating information and expression remains important in striving to build a future that upholds the freedom of expression and information to the utmost extent– that way no president can, with legal backing, leave their citizens with lingering trust issues.
12
Further Reflections
There is a sort of irony brought to light in discussing archives connected to media suppression and censorship. We navigate archives reading information people living through it were forcibly unaware of. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration hearing how my mother was forced to understand Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait when it happened. Baath archives reveal material information about the invasion while citizens, like my mom, were legally limited to watching a state-owned broadcast detailing Iraq’s decisive victory over its enemies. Propaganda strategies are employed in virtually every military campaign to garner support from the people, but when propaganda is the only source you have legal access to, factual information becomes a luxury only afforded through archives in the aftermath.
