Phil Taylor's papers
|
BACK TO : PROPAGANDA AND THE GWOT Year 3 - 2004 (mainly Iraq)
East counters West on Iraqi TV from ABC East counters West on Iraqi TV. 18/06/2004. ABC News Online 
Last Update: Friday, June 18, 2004. 10:05pm (AEST) Gone are the days when the regime of Saddam Hussein had control of the airwaves. (Reuters) East counters West on Iraqi TV A journalist stops a man in a Baghdad street and asks about the security situation. The man cheerfully replies: "Security has vastly improved, we used to go home at 7.30pm but now we can stay out as late as 7.45!" A sound effect of an explosion during the conversation shakes the camera, adding a tongue-in-cheek dose of reality to the comedy clip. It is a skit for a new Iraqi channel aiming to win audiences with a unique style of political and social satire. Al-Sharqiya, meaning the 'The Eastern one', is Iraq's first privately-owned channel. It launched satellite transmission to more than 90 countries on June 11, setting up as a rival to established Arab stations like Al Jazeera. Sharqiya's director says his current staff of 100 hopes to capture a wide audience by using political comedy and the kind of impartial news coverage unheard of during decades of rule by ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. "We have to face the problems of the Iraqi people, they need a smile and a laugh to release tension," Alaa al-Dahan said. "By using humour, the message gets across faster." Iraqis who have seen the channel have already found something to laugh about, like a scene mocking Iraq's traditionally excessive use of celebratory gunfire. In the clip, an actor cheers and fires his machinegun into the air when Baghdad's erratic electricity is switched back on in his neighbourhood. The channel, launching on three satellites to reach foreign audiences, will also be broadcast across Iraq in the near future, promising to only show Iraqi drama and songs to attract millions of viewers. "If we don't air Iraqi material and promote our culture, then who else will?" Mr Dahan said. Industry constraints? Critics ask whether Iraq has a big enough entertainment industry to provide enough content for the station to avoid foreign programming. However, the station says its policy of only using Iraqi shows will stimulate home-grown talent. The channel - set up by Iraqi media tycoon Sa'ad al-Bazzaz, editor of the popular daily newspaper Az-Zaman - has set up studios in Baghdad and Dubai. It is funded primarily by local and international private investors. Sharqiya plans to find new investors to increase its initial annual budget, which is currently estimated at $30 million. The station has attempted to gain credentials as a self-styled voice of the people by funding projects like helping Iraqis rebuild houses demolished in the war, but such efforts have been constrained by finances. "We started this initiative but it's impossible to maintain. We hope that humanitarian organisations and individuals will contribute," Mr Dahan said. He says in the near future, the channel will also help young couples with a limited budget by paying for their wedding and honeymoon - a move reminiscent of Western "reality television" shows that have drawn huge audiences. Choice returns Iraqis now enjoy a broad range of views featured in the many newspapers jostling for their attention since Saddam's fall, reflecting an intense thirst for knowledge after 35 years of censored, pro-Baath Party media. Shortly after the downfall of the Baath administration last year, the United States set up the Iraqi Media Network (IMN) and the al-Sabah daily newspaper to help feed the official line from the US to Iraqis. The US-backed media suffered a double blow when IMN's chief quit months into his job, saying the station was inadequately funded, and the editor of al-Sabah resigned accusing the Coalition Provisional Authority of interference. With the arrival of al-Sharqiya on the media stage, the battle for the Iraqi audience is becoming increasingly competitive. Al-Hurra, a Washington-based Arab station recently set up and funded by the United States to counter coverage by popular pan-Arab stations like Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, has launched al-Hurra Iraq, a channel targeting Iraqis. As an Iraqi channel, al-Sharqiya has what many consider an edge over its rivals, but some say the new station is still a little rough around the edges. "We hope that Sharqiya can be successful but they need to spend extra effort to look more professional," Ismael Zayir, editor of a daily newspaper in Baghdad, said. For many Iraqis, the Sharqiya channel is a welcome break from decades of state television praising Saddam, and stations set up after the US-led invasion, seen by many as a mouthpiece for the country's occupiers. "We need this channel to give us a wider angle," 24-year-old student Nisreen Hamza said. "Iraqiya is too sympathetic to the Americans, we want unbiased coverage so we can decide where the truth lies." -- Reuters |