Iraqi media divided in coverage of IS conflict
Iraqi media has failed to provide unbiased coverage of the war with the Islamic State, and has even at times spread false information.
ERBIL, Iraq — About two dozen journalists and editors from various Iraqi media outlets gathered around a neatly arranged table and argued passionately about the “unfortunate” coverage of the conflict stirred by the Islamic State’s (IS) takeover of large parts of the country.
The consensus in the conference room at Erbil International Hotel was that the Iraqi media had failed in its task to provide unbiased and professional coverage of the brutal conflict that has rocked the country in the last couple of months.
“The Iraqi media has not been successful in providing a healthy coverage [of the conflict],” said Dana Asaad, director of the Media Academy-Iraq, a nonprofit organization funded by the German Foreign Ministry that trains Iraqi media outlets. “The media failed to provide objective coverage and not only that but they even spread false news,” Asaad said.
In both Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan, official outlets close to the government or ruling political parties have been noted for reporting at times that "progress" was made at a certain front while these claims were proven incorrect later on.
