Iraq suspends Reuters for three months

Iraq has suspended the license of the Reuters news agency after it published a story saying the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country was higher than officially reported.

A Reuters story states, “Iraq’s media regulator said it was revoking Reuters’ licence for three months and fining it 25 million dinars ($21,000) for what it said was the agency’s violation of the rules of media broadcasting.

“In a letter to Reuters, the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said it had taken the action ‘because this matter is taking place during current circumstances which have serious repercussions on societal health and safety.’

“Reuters said it regretted the Iraqi authorities’ decision and that it stood by the story, which it said was based on multiple, well-placed medical and political sources, and fully represented the position of the Iraqi health ministry.

“‘We are seeking to resolve the matter and are working to ensure we continue to deliver trusted news about Iraq,’ the news agency said in a statement.”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.