Iraq
Saddam Hussein continues to hold uncontested power in Iraq, and thus his
notoriously ruthless Ba’th regime maintains its stranglehold on the media.
News outlets are under the control of the Ministry of Information, whose
functionaries compose all "news." The country’s daily newspapers offer
a steady diet of articles extolling Hussein’s virtues and the blessings
of his rule. Virtually no news of events outside of the capital, Baghdad,
reaches Iraqis, and when the media report on international events, the
content is highly restricted. One of Saddam’s sons, Uday, unofficially
serves as the head of the Ministry of Information and owns the nation’s
only "private" and most influential newspaper, Babil.
Iraqis have virtually no alternative sources of information. The government
has banned satellite dishes, and the seven-year-old United Nations embargo
keeps foreign publications beyond reach. The government also reportedly
jams radio broadcasts from abroad. "Most Iraqi citizens know very little
about what is happening inside their country, or for that matter around
the world," observed a reporter from National Public Radio.
Foreign journalists who travel to Iraq continue to face constraints
on their freedom of movement. Authorities require foreign reporters to
travel with government escorts, who restrict their access to certain areas
and often compromise their ability to conduct interviews.