Concern for journalists’ safety following bombings

Monday’s bomb attacks near two hotels frequented by foreigners and journalists in the Iraqi capital,Baghdad, have raised fresh concerns over the safety of news reporters working in the war-torn country. “This attack is an insult to free journalism,” said Khalid Sami of the Iraqi Journalists’ Association. “And it shows that some groups have an interest in dragging the nation down.” Three large car bombs exploded outside the Palestine Hotel and the neighbouring Sheraton hotel, killing at least 20 people and causing extensive damage, media reports stated. According to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least three unidentified photojournalists were injured by the blasts. Until now, the perpetrators remain unknown. “Whoever carried out this attack is just trying to stop people like us from writing about the Iraqi people and conveying their message,” said Marcos Sartella, a Spanish freelance journalist. This is not the first time the hotels have been targeted. In April 2003, the Palestine Hotel – a traditional way station for journalists and consultants – was hit by US tank fire. That incident resulted in the deaths of two journalists, one from news agency Reuters and the other from a Spanish television network. Notably, on the same day, US troops also opened fire on the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera network’s Baghdad office, killing television reporter Tariq Ayoub. US military officials later apologised for both incidents, which they said were the result of erroneous intelligence regarding insurgent positions. Some Baghdad-based reporters say that journalists are regularly subjected to intimidation by the authorities, who hope to suppress coverage of the war’s less flattering aspects. “Journalism in Iraq has been in crisis since the beginning of 2004,” said one reporter who preferred anonymity. “The Iraqi government and US forces have put pressure on us because they’re afraid of what we have been showing the world.” Other major attacks by insurgents against media figures and outlets include the bombing of the Dubai-based satellite station Al-Arabiya’s Baghdad bureau in November 2004 and the attempted shooting of an Al-Arabiya correspondent earlier this year. Employees of Iraqi national television – run by the Iraqi government – have also come under fire over the past two years, presumably for their perceived affiliation with the US, which invaded Iraq in early 2003. A number of journalists working for local publications have also been attacked. “These appalling attacks are fresh reminders of the myriad dangers facing those who continue to report from Iraq,” CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. At least 57 journalists have been targeted and 22 media support staff have been killed in Iraq since March 2003.