[FoME] BBC Media Action policy briefing: The media of Iraq ten years on

[Christoph Dietz]

>>> James Deane <james.deane at bbc.co.uk> 19.03.2013 15:46 >>>


Dear colleague, 

I am writing to share a new BBC Media Action policy briefing, The media of Iraq ten years on: the problems, the progress, the prospects http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/policybriefing/bbc_media_action_iraq_media_ten_years_on.pdf, published today to coincide with the ten year anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq.

The policy briefing examines the media landscape in Iraq today and reviews both the miscalculations and achievements of the international actors involved in reforming Iraqs media over the last ten years. It also examines the extent to which freedom of expression and information has been secured in Iraq and prospects for the future.

The briefing finds that the media landscape of 2013 may not be the free and professional fourth estate that many in the West envisaged in 2003 but it has real strengths, as well as weaknesses, which reflect the reality and complexity of the country today.   

It is based on dozens of exclusive interviews conducted by authors Abir Awad and Tim Eaton with Iraqi and Western actors, including Ambassador Paul Bremer who headed the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) from March 2003 to mid-2004, as well as former and current Iraqi politicians and journalists.  

The policy briefing also draws on insights gained through BBC Media Actions own media development work in Iraq since 2003 and elsewhere. The analysis offers useful lessons for media support strategies in other Arab countries, and especially those in transition following the Arab spring.

The media of Iraq ten years on, which was prepared thanks to funding from the UK Department for International Development, is part of a broader series focused on the role of media and communication in achieving governance, health, humanitarian and resilience outcomes.

We invite you to read the policy briefing and to share it with any contacts, colleagues and networks that are interested in media development in the Middle East and more widely. To request a low resolution version and/or hard copies, please contact Aoife Allen on aoife.allen at bbc.co.uk 

Best regards
James Deane
Director of Policy & Learning 

Email: james.deane at bbc.co.uk 
Tel: +44 (0)20 800 80171
Fax: +44 (0)20 8008 5970 

BBC Media Action
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London W12 7TQ
visit www.bbcmediaaction.org