Iraqi women journalists' challenges and predicaments

This article aims at reviewing the condition of Iraqi female journalists specifically after the US invasion in 2003 by using different Arabic and English sources. The study argues that female Iraqi journalists enjoyed new freedoms of speech and got new opportunities to improve professionally after 2003, but many of them were harmed because of the spread of lawlessness, and thus they were mostly drawn to their sect or ethnic group as a protective measure to secure them from outside threats. After the US invasion, some journalists who wanted to cover the events in a balanced manner were threatened, kidnapped or assassinated by armed groups, militias and political parties. This fact has further enhanced the polarization of these journalists. Iraq has become known as the worst place for journalists to live and work; thus, it is not surprising that the circumstances Iraqi female journalists go through are probably some of the worst in the world.