964media director general says network focuses on people’s lives, not politics

ERBIL — Hiwa Osman, director general of 964media, said the network was founded to give a clearer picture of Iraq by focusing on the daily lives of people across the country rather than political commentary.

Speaking during an hour-long appearance on Al Arabiya’s “Qabel Lil Jadal” (“Open to Debate”) with host Naif al-Ahmari, Osman discussed the outlet’s editorial approach, press freedom challenges and its decision to avoid opinion journalism. “We are trying to present Iraq more clearly, or explain Iraq more clearly to a wider audience and to those outside Iraq,” he said.

Osman, a former media adviser to late Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, said his previous political role does not influence his journalism. “The main task is not to let one’s political views affect journalistic work, because trust in journalism and earning trust are the highest priorities,” he said.

Asked whether the network runs on a large budget, Osman said it operates with limited resources and relies on a nationwide network of contributors. “If you visit the newsroom, you will see that we have three or four editors,” he said. “The broad reach is thanks to the correspondents who work with us. I can assure you that they all work as citizen journalists, using their mobile phones to send reports.” He said funding comes from private-sector supporters and European organizations backing independent journalism, “with a mutual condition: no interference in the network’s editorial line.”

When al-Ahmari raised allegations that 964media takes a critical tone toward the federal government, Osman rejected the accusation, saying the network has no opinion section. “There is no opinion department,” he said. “The primary focus of 964media is news and covering what happens in people’s lives across the country’s cities.” He said the outlet sometimes publishes contributions from writers with differing viewpoints.

Osman described Iraq’s press freedom environment as challenging. “Freedom of expression in Iraq remains a complicated issue,” he said. “There are still real problems, prosecutions of journalists and arrest warrants.” He said those concerns shaped the team’s approach when launching the network in 2023. “When we started establishing the network, the editorial board sat around the table and discovered that each of us faced at least one arrest warrant because of our journalistic work,” he said.

The experience led the newsroom to adopt what Osman called a “Year of Repentance,” shifting attention from political disputes toward public-interest reporting. “Then we saw that the impact of focusing on people’s news rather than politicians and political opinions was important, so we decided to extend the repentance,” he said. Now in its third year, the policy remains in place.

964media publishes news and feature stories in Arabic, Kurdish and English, drawing on a nationwide network of correspondents across Iraq.