Arabic Media: The Biased Treatment Of Arabic Media In Iraq And Its Causes

Western media versus Arabic media coverage of the war in Iraq is an ongoing struggle steered by both political agenda, and military influence. The United States for the first time since the American Civil War allowed the unrestricted access of media on the battlefield. During other wars the media did not enjoy an unrestricted access to military operations. However, the access of Arabic media in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) has proved limited and difficult at times. The U.S. government's political agenda on media along with U.S. military's Information Operations (IO) has played a significant part in the restrictions currently in place with regards to Arabic media.