Columbia Journalism Review: Banning the bad news in Iraq

[DeepModem Mom]

May 16, 2007
Banning the bad news in Iraq
Paul McLeary

The Guardian reported this morning that police in Baghdad "fired shots into the air to force a group of Iraqi journalists to leave" the scene of a car bombing that killed seven people.

This follows on the heels of a declaration by the Iraqi government that reporters will no longer be allowed access to sites of bombings and other violent acts. As IraqSlogger quoted Iraqi Interior Ministry Operations Director Brigadier General Abdul Karim Khalaf on Sunday, the reasons for the ban are:

To protect journalists from being victims in follow on attacks (insurgents often target first responders).

-- "We do not want evidence disturbed before detectives arrive."

-- "The respect of human rights by not photographing dead bodies who fall by bombings and other incidents."

-- "The Ministry does not want to give terrorists information that they achieved their goals."

There are few actions more undemocratic, and harmful to the concept of a democracy, than banning journalists from being able to do their job in the public sphere, not to mention that chasing journos away with gunfire, while undoubtedly effective, is hardly the best way to handle the situation.

Reporters Without Borders isn't having any of it, saying in a statement that "It is vital that journalists can report on the security situation throughout the country without it being seen as incitement to violence. When the streets become impassable and the authorities provide no information about the attacks in real time, the role of the reporter becomes essential. Coverage of these attacks allows people to evaluate the security risk and to avoid dangerous areas."...

http://www.cjrdaily.org/politics/post_39.php