Again with the propaganda minister

The head of Iraq's US-funded television network resigned, claiming he had no control over the channel's management and that the budget was being wasted on buying costly foreign programs while salaries were not being paid.

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"The Iraqi side still has no idea on how money is being spent. When we ask, the only answer we get is that Harris is dealing only with the US Defense Department while it is all Iraqi money," he said at a press conference.

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He charged that the network's budget was being wasted on costly foreign programs and that the sub-contracting process had left no room for local know-how.

Al-Mashta cited the LBCI's "Al-Mumayazun" Game Show which is costing Al-Iraqiya 28,000 dollars per show, while he estimated that a similar program could be shot in Iraq for around 3,000 dollars.

"The fact is that the government is not paying a penny to the network, despite the fact that I talked to officials about that more than once. I didn't receive my salary for five consecutive months," he also complained.

"This means more Iraqi money will be spent in vain instead of being spent on building the country. It also means that Iraqi skills are being treated with contempt," he added to explain his resignation.

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Why should the television industry be any different than other sectors?

And this isn't the first time there have been problems with Iraq's U.S.-envisioned TV.

Aug 18 '03: Iraqi exile Ahmad Al-Rikaby just quit his dream job. Formerly the voice of Radio Free Iraq, Al-Rikaby was handpicked by Washington to head up a TV station for the new Iraq Media Network (IMN)--a project that he says became like his "child." But only five months after being appointed, he joined several other Western-trained staffers leaving IMN, frustrated by a perceived lack of support from the station's U.S. management. Al-Rikaby discussed the American approach to Iraqi media last week with NEWSWEEK's Liat Radcliffe. Excerpts:

Why did you resign from IMN?

I resigned because I couldn't carry on with my work anymore with not enough resources and a lack of basic [tools] to create proper television. There was criticism in the Iraqi street against IMN and I agreed with that criticism. But unfortunately I couldn't do much. People were asking for more information, for a better news bulletin, for more programs, for better programs. It took me many years to create credibility and [cultivate my] reputation among the [Iraqi] people, and I didn't want to lose it for the sake of other people.

Who is responsible for lack of support you received?

I believe that the people in the White House, in Washington, they would like to see a media network which they could be proud of and which could be an example for the rest of the Middle East. Unfortunately, the dream was given to the wrong people to fulfill. What there should have been were people who know how to run a media outlet, people who have experience in the field, people who have an understanding of the political situation of the country, of the culture of the country, and people willing to invest in this project. [There wasn't.]

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Could you give an example of how the Coalition influenced your content?

They came with ideas for one or two programs which we felt were not really good ideas. But we were told, "You should have [them] whether you like it or not." One of the programs was about law. It was funny because the American supervisor of the Ministry of Justice wished to have this program on IMN and we--I mean, to have a weekly program about law when there are no courts and no really functioning law in the country--we felt that this was a really stupid idea. So, I was hosting the first episode with four judges and one lawyer, and they all agreed on the program that there were no courts and no functioning law. So then we thought, what's the second part of the show going to be about?

  Newsweek article

Obviously the Iraqis just don't understand the TV business.