Who are we?

 

Jummar is an independent Iraqi media platform that seeks to pave the way for creative and ethical journalism in and about Iraq. Jummar cares about people as well as places, challenging media coverage's common focus on Iraqi capitals and urban centers, like Baghdad, Basra, Erbil and more. Jummar cares about the major issues as well as those that affect Iraqi’s everyday lives. Jummar asks the questions that preoccupy Iraqis, scrutinizing and analysing the answers to these questions, relying first and foremost on its network of young journalists across Iraq. 

Just as the word Jummar literally means “the heart - or inner core - of the date palm tree”, our website offers journalism for and from the community, addressing the issues of its marginalised groups and highlighting their stories. Jummar aims to cover the stories of women, gendered and minoritised communities, people with physical and mental disabilities, and others in a way that defies narratives which portray them only as victims. We are particularly concerned with the issues of youth and the environment, as these are the foundation of Iraq’s future. 

Among the pillars of Jummar are, first, independence. Jummar is an independent media website, which is not driven by sectarian, ethnic, gender, partisan, political, ideological, class-based or geographic bias. It ensures that its content  stands up to scrutiny without narrowing the critical space needed to produce material on these topics. Jummar ensures that it adheres to ethical and journalistic standards by dealing with people, journalists, sources and stories fairly and responsibly. 

Second, Jummar is committed to accuracy in the production of its content. All materials are subject to a thorough examination and source verification, including fact-checking and intellectual property rights. It is also imperative that we obtain the appropriate consent from sources that are interviewed and named in our content.  

Third, Jummar adopts a policy of transparency with regards to its funding. We disclose the names of our funders or other publishing partners. Transparency also extends to Jummar’s methodology and workflow. Its editorial and publishing policy is made public and available. In the event of an error when editing or publishing, we will not hesitate to acknowledge it and work to correct it. 

The fourth pillar of Jummar is creativity and accessibility of content to the reader, whether in terms of language, technology or design. Jummar believes that journalism is a creative profession and that it should coexist with and benefit from other arts. That’s why it encourages the use of all creative and expressive genres that may support its journalism and facilitate the transfer of information to the reader, provided that it does not conflict with its professional guidelines. This includes written texts, illustrations, infographics, videos, audio clips/podcasts, photographs, cartoon drawings and art images and collages. 

Fifth, Jummar supports journalists, developing their capabilities, and encouraging the younger generation of journalists in and outside of Iraqi media higher education institutions to practice journalism within a healthy, supportive and creative environment. Jummar seeks to provide constructive criticism to develop the foundations of professional journalistic writing in Iraq, which is centered on facilitating learning and dialogue between the journalist and the editorial board. It is also working on building effective training programs that will eventually support the Iraqi media scene as a whole. 

Finally, Jummar believes strongly in partnership and cooperation. Jummar is part of the Iraqi, Arab and international journalism community. It is the product of partnership and cooperation between a team of journalists, academics and researchers inside and outside Iraq. We believe in teamwork and partnerships and so have built and seek to further build partnerships with media, research, artistic and technical institutions that align with our editorial policy.