Iraq sets up news censorship committee

[floda]

The beginning of the end?




Iraq sets up committee to impose restrictions on news reporting

By Nicolas Pelham in Baghdad
Iyad Allawi, Iraq's prime minister, has established a media committee to impose restrictions on print and broadcast media, a government official announced yesterday. The step underlines an aggressive new attitude towards press freedoms, in spite of US efforts to nurture independent media.

Ibrahim Janabi, appointed to head the new Higher Media Commission, told the FT the restrictions - known as "red lines" - had yet to be finalised, but would include unwarranted criticism of the prime minister. He singled out last Friday's sermon by Moqtada al-Sadr, a firebrand Shia cleric, who mocked Mr Allawi as America's "tail".
Outlets that broadcast the sermon could be banned, he said. The formation of Mr Janabi's committee appears to mark a step back from Washington's democratic vision for postwar Iraq. Before last month's handover of sovereignty, US officials boasted that Iraq enjoyed the Arab world's least regulated media. One of Paul Bremer's first acts as US administrator was to abolish the information ministry, prompting a profusion of non-government newspapers, radio stations and television stations to emerge.

Mr Janabi said his committee would soon relocate to the old information ministry building, which is undergoing refurbishment. Many of the old information ministry's 5,000 former employees have welcomed Mr Janabi's commission as a first step to regaining their jobs axed by Mr Bremer. One of Mr Janabi's first decisions was to extend payment of their salaries to last month.

But Mr Janabi sought to damp fears that he was reviving the old pre-war information ministry, which controlled all media outlets in Iraq before the US-led invasion. He said he would not introduce minders for foreign journalists, but there would be a voluntary registration process.

http://www.khilafah.com/home/category.php?DocumentID=9890&TagID=2

(source F.T.)

[joycep]

1. Yep! In the shape Iraq is in

Censorship is the most important thing of all. What about that democracy we're creating?

[atreides1]

2. So This Is Democracy

So this is the vaunted "democracy" that the Rethugs and their paid dogs are really talking about. The same kind of "democracy" that I'm sure they want to install here in the US.

How much more evidence do we really need before we all realize that the Bush/Rethug/Neocon dream is the destruction of the US Constitution.

[HawkerHurricane]

3. Glad to see Iraqis...

taking over this job from the U.S. Military.
Sarcasm off.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Will I be hearing....

Olielly reporting on this if I tune in to the Faux Snooze? I would imagine not....

[bluestateguy]

4. Hmmmm...

If and when this Administration is replaced in November I suppose some of John Ashcroft and Michael Powell's staffers will have a place to send their resumes.

[peekaloo]

6. Let freedom reign................eom

[daleo]

7. Perfect response

n/t

[truthspeaker]

8. Ah, democracy, American style

[Snazzy]

9. Spingtime!

I was playing the lounge. And then I got my big break.
Somebody burned down the Reichstag. And, would you believe it?
They made me Chancellor. Chancellor!
It ain't no myst'ry
If it's politics or hist'ry
The thing you gotta know is
Ev'rything is show biz
Heil myself
Watch my show
I'm the German Ethel Merman
Dontcha know
We are crossing borders
The new world order is here
Make a great big smile
Ev'ryone sieg heil to me
Wonderful me!
And now it's...
CHORUS:
Springtime for Hitler and Germany
Goose-step's the new step today

[rawstory]

10. I can't find an actual FT link

which is suspicious... can anyone else?

[rawstory]

11. found it, but its from july 27

hmmm...registration restricted

[struggle4progress]

12. Oooh! Is this some of the "good news from Iraq" we haven't been hearing?

[UpInArms]

13. that smell, that smell

I just love the smell of democracy in the morning.

in spite of US efforts to nurture independent media

didn't we shut down Sadr's independent paper?