Is Iraqi government censoring media's military coverage?
The Iraqi government is keeping an eye on media outlets and humanitarian organizations covering the battle of Mosul in order to prevent them from publishing false reports.
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government is keeping an eye on local and foreign media outlets that are covering security events in the country, especially the war against the Islamic State (IS), namely in the battle to liberate the city of Mosul.
On Dec. 3, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) rectified its previous report on the violence against civilians in Iraq, following the criticism of the report by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, which requested it to be amended. UNAMI admitted that the number of casualties mentioned in the report was incorrect and was not collected from reliable sources.
This was not the first time that media outlets or humanitarian organizations corrected their reports following requests by Iraqi authorities. Since the launch of the Mosul operation, the Iraqi government is keeping an eye on media outlets and humanitarian organizations covering the battle of Mosul to prevent them from publishing false reports.
On Nov. 21, the Joint Operations Command (JOC) that is affiliated with the Iraqi government expelled a reporter for the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that published a report on “illegitimate pregnancies in southern Iraq.” The newspaper then issued an apology for the report.
