Iraqi Media Network (IMN) is the company that manages all state-controlled media outlets in Iraq. Established in 2004 after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime, the group manages the television stations Al-Iraqiya TV and Iraqi Sports, the radio channels Radio Republic of Iraq and the Holy Quran Radio, the daily newspaper Al-Sabah and the bimonthly magazine Iraqi Network, and Iraqi News Agency. The company also runs dozens of local broadcasters.
Media assets
Television: Al-Iraqiya; Radio: Republic of Iraq Radio
Print media: Al-Sabah, IMN Magazine
News agency: Iraqi News Agency
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
IMN was established in 2004 as the successor of the Iraqi Radio and Television Corporation, the state-controlled broadcaster run by the Ba’ath regime of Saddam Hussein.
The Law on IMN adopted in 2015 created a new legal framework for the regulation of IMN. The broadcast group was established by this law as an entity with legal personality subordinated to the Council of Representatives, Iraq’s unicameral parliament.
The highest governance structure at IMN is its Board of Trustees that consists of nine non-executive members. The members of the board are appointed by parliament from a list of candidates approved by the specialized parliamentary commission. The list consists of nominees proposed by the Board of Trustees. But effectively, since 2003, the IMN has been under the authority of the Prime Minister. Any citizen of the country who fulfills the conditions for membership required by the law can apply for a spot on the board. The Board of Trustees also appoints the CEO of the IMN.
Source of funding and budget
According to the IMN Law (see Control of Governing Structures and Ownership above), the company is funded through a combination of government budget subsidies, advertising, sales of broadcast rights, fees from rental of broadcast facilities and revenues from the operation of the state-owned printing presses. Official data about the budget of IMN are not available. According to articles in the media, the company had a budget of US$ 70m in 2019. According to journalists/experts who follow Iraqi media, at least 80% of the IMN’s budget comes from the government. In recent years, however, IMN has been faced with massive cuts of their state subsidy that led to profound financial crises, which very often jeopardize the company’s operations.
Editorial independence
IMN has always been under various forms of control. Operated under a different name until 2003, its media had been government mouthpieces in the service of the Hussein regime. After 2003, the U.S. Administration began funding the IMN group, which adopted an editorial line clearly supportive of the U.S. government. In recent years, IMN has been openly supportive of the Iraqi government, according to experts and journalists with experience in covering Iraqi media. Journalists who publicly criticize the government (even outside their job at IMN) risk losing their jobs.
The Law on IMN has several provisions that require its media outlets to ensure their editorial independence. In reality, however, it is practically impossible for the media run by IMN to remain independent as the government controls their editorial line.
No independent assessment/oversight mechanism to validate the editorial independence of IMN’s media outlets has been identified.
August 2023