Breaking out of years of isolation. Photo:WFP/David Gross.

This week, seven journalists from Denmark are visiting northern Iraq to connect with Iraqi media, politicians and other key actors. The purpose of the visit is for the journalists to pave the way for future collaboration with Iraqi counterparts

Seven journalists from Denmark are this week travelling around northern Iraq to meet with iraqi media, members of parliament and other key actors in Iraq. IMS is funding the visit as part of a longterm project to support the development of independent media in Iraq.

The visit offers a unique opportunity for Danish journalists to initiate collaboration with Iraqi media counterparts as well as establishing first-hand contacts with key actors in Iraq that may prove useful to the Danish media coverage of Iraq thus providing background and insight into Iraqi matters.

For the Iraqi counterparts, the visit offers an opportunity to present the reality of Iraq today to fellow-media representatives from abroad, thereby fostering greater understanding and knowledge about the media situation in particular and the general situation on the ground in present day iraq.

Long-term engagement in Iraqi media sector

Since the downfall of Saddam Hussein, IMS has been actively involved in supporting independent media in Iraq. Following a number of activities, IMS established partnerships with ten Iraqi media organisations at the UNESCO meeting of Iraqi media in Paris in January 2007.

Since then, IMS has organised and hosted visits to Denmark of Iraqi media workers from the ten partner organisations, who have met and worked with their Danish counterparts including: Politiken, Weekendavisen, Information, Kristeligt Dagblad and the Danish news agency Ritzaus Bureau.

The project is two-pronged as it is designed to strengthen the professional capabilities at all levels of media production in Iraq, while at the same time offering a strengthening of Danish media coverage of Iraq.

So far, the activities have included a visit of chief editors to Denmark, a workshop in business strategies for chief editors, training and study trip to Denmark of Iraqi journalists as well as a workshop for graphic layouters .

Unique access to primary sources

This week, the time had come to turn the flow around and for Danish journalists to visit their Iraqi counterparts. During the visit, the Danish journalists are to meet high-ranking Iraqi politicians including the Minister for Oil, members of parliament, and to cooperate on twinning projects with representatives from the ten media partners to pursue stories of their own choice.

The trip is organised by IMS in close collaboration with the Iraqi media partners and the IMS coordinator for Iraq, and it is financed with funds from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.