Iraq's 'PBS' accused of sectarian slant

"The Iraqi Media Network is another factor that is helping to turn Iraqi society into a sectarian society," says Salah Mulek, a secular Sunni politician whose electoral list is likely to win 10 seats in the coming parliament. "This had a big impact on the elections because it was putting out propaganda for the government parties."

Many, including the IMN's own board of governors, say top government officials have repeatedly interfered with its editorial decisions. Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, they say, effectively took control of the company after taking power last year. His office, they allege, worked to turn the IMN's various media outlets into mouthpieces for his policies and Dawa Party allies, hiring and firing editors, and directing editorial policy.

"They pressured us to show certain interviews and to rerun programs that served Jaafari's interests," says IMN governor Sawsan al-Jazrawi, a journalist in Iraq for 17 years.

"Jaafari's media adviser sent me instructions on how to run the paper, including an order to stop my daily column," says Mohammed Abdul Jabbar, the editor in chief of Al Sabbah, who was temporarily fired two months into Mr. Jaafari's term as prime minister. "They wanted me to pay special attention to the news of the prime minister and got angry when we published something about him on the inside pages.

Jaafari spokesman Laith Kubba called such accusations baseless and politically motivated.

Jaafari's control of the IMN lasted through September, when Abdel Aziz Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), publicly denounced Jaafari's meddling. That political cover encouraged the IMN's board of governors to take a stand and reassert their independence.

But it gave others the impression that the IMN exchanged one political patron for another - that instead of Jaafari, the IMN's politically savvy director had instead turned to SCIRI's Mr. Hakim, who competes with Jaafari for influence within the Shiite alliance.

"[IMN Director Habib al Sadr] is always looking for a political backer, rather than relying on professional standards of work," Osman, the media adviser to President Talibani, says. "And the IMN gives their political backers more coverage in exchange."

Mr. Sadr is currently on pilgrimage to Mecca and was not available for comment. Ms. Jazrawi, the IMN governor, said she hadn't noticed any direct interference from Hakim.

But the controversy has added to the perception that what was intended to be an independent media organization is instead a political tool to be exploited.

Mutlek, the Sunni politician, said that control of the IMN is sure to be a contentious issue in the coming negotiations to form a national unity government. "The IMN has been serving the [Shiite] alliance's political interests, so we are going to fight for this body and make it serve our interests."

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