Iraqi Women Journalists’ Challenges and Predicaments

This article aims at reviewing the condition of Iraqi women journalists specifically after the US invasion in 2003 by using different Arabic and English sources. The study argues that Iraqi women journalists enjoyed new freedoms of speech and got new opportunities to improve professionally after 2003, but many of them were harmed because of the spread of lawlessness, so they were mostly drawn to their sect or ethnic group as a protective measure to secure them from outside threats. After the US invasion, some journalists who wanted to cover the events in a balanced manner were either threatened, kidnapped, or assassinated by armed groups, militias, and political parties. This fact has further enhanced the polarization of these journalists. Iraq has become known to be the worst place for journalists to live and work; thus, it is not surprising that the circumstances Iraqi women journalists go through are probably one of the worst in the world.

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