The Institute for War & Peace Reporting launched on January19, 2004 the « Iraqi Press Monitor ». The bulletin will feature the top 7 stories of the day, along with a political cartoon, and include details of the newspapers they appeared in.

The IWPR Iraqi Press Monitor is published five days a week. Monday through to Thursday, the service will focus on key news stories, while on Friday it will review in detail the leading opinion pieces of the week. « With the daily cartoon, readers will quickly come to appreciate the Iraqis' wry humour, as they struggle with their post-war conditions » said the organisation.

Stories for the Iraqi Press Monitor are selected and summarised by Ali Mohammed Jawad, and edited by Eric Watkins. The organization produced the first edition of the Monitor on January 19. It included stories on the relationship between the Coalition Provisional Authority and religious leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and on a car bomb that killed 25 people in Baghdad.

To subscribe for free to the Iraqi Press Monitor, visit
Iraki Press Monitor

For more information, contact Mansoor Mirza in the United
Kingdom, telephone +44(0)20 7713,
or Paul Tooher in the United States, telephone +1(508)736-1876.

More (official) information about the Institute for War & Peace Reporting...

The Institute strengthens local journalism in areas of conflict. By training reporters, facilitating dialogue and providing reliable information, it supports peace, democracy and development in societies undergoing crisis and change.

IWPR's work is distinguished by intensive on-the-job training, practical collaboration between international and regional journalists to transfer skills and experience for the long term.
The Institute takes training out of the classroom and conference hall and brings it into the field, assisting the professional development of the media while addressing journalists' and editors' immediate, day-to-day priorities.

Widely known for its award-winning website, www.iwpr.net, and electronic publications in nine languages, IWPR's activities are based on an integrated programme of support through the entire journalistic process: basic training; story development and writing; editing, publication and local syndication; local debate and evaluation.

By improving the capacity of local journalists to produce balanced and accurate reporting in the public interest, the activities are designed to contribute to public understanding of political issues within the region as well as internationally, with an emphasis on democratisation, human rights, conflict resolution and development. Click through a power-point presentation of IWPR'scomprehensive training programme.

IWPR runs major programmes in Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia andIraq. Also we are managing a special reporting project on war crimes tribunals. The Institute maintains offices in Almaty, Baku, Belgrade, Bishkek, The Hague, Kabul, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tashkent, Tbilisi and Dushanbe with representatives in Tirana, Vladikavkaz and Yerevan.

Field offices build local networks, engage in extensive training and editing, and host practical workshops and discussion sessions. Coordination and intensive expert support is provided by IWPR's training, editing and logistics team, based in London.

The overall programme toolbox is adapted for each country project based on local needs, problems and available resources, and includes investigative and cross-community reporting, training the trainers, collaboration with local human rights groups, regional conferences, and research and consultancy for international media and development agencies.

An international media development charity, IWPR is led by senior journalists and peace researchers, with staff drawn from established media such as the BBC, The Guardian and Reuters. The Institute is a partnership between the London-based charity established in 1991, and the recently formed IWPR (US), based in Washington, DC, 501(c)(3) charitable status pending.

More info about IWPR, visit their website