Jummar is an independent Iraqi media initiative that aims to pave the way for creative and ethical journalism in and about Iraq. Jummar cares about people as well as places, breaking the geographic centrality of media coverage from Iraq. Jummar cares about the big issues as well as those that affect the daily lives of Iraqis. Jummar asks the questions that preoccupy Iraqis, checking and analysing the answers to these questions, using its network of young women and men journalists across Iraq.

 

Just as Jummar is the heart of the palm tree, the site offers journalism for and from the community, dealing with the issues of its marginalized groups and highlighting their stories. Jummar seeks to cover the stories of women, minoritized communities, people with disabilities, and others that are away from narratives that portray them as victims. It is also concerned with the issues of youth and the environment, as these are the pillars of the future for Iraq.

 

The pillars of Jummar are, firstly, 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 materials are impartial without reducing the critical space needed to produce materials related to these topics. Jummar ensures that ethics and journalistic standards are adhered to by dealing with people, journalists, sources and stories fairly and responsibly.

 

Secondly, Jummar is committed to accuracy in the production of its content. All materials are subject to a thorough examination and verification of their sources, including fact-checking and intellectual rights. We obtain audio or written statements from all named sources that they agree for their names to be published.

 

Thirdly, Jummar adopts a policy of transparency with regards to its funding. It does not hide the names of its funders or its other publishing partners. Transparency also extends to Jummar’s methodology and workflow. Its editorial and publishing policy is 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 and benefit from other arts. It does not hesitate but rather encourages the use of all creative and expressive genres that may help in the service of journalism and in facilitating the transfer of information to the reader, provided that it does not conflict with its professional rules. This includes written texts, illustrations, infographics, videos, audios/podcasts, photographs, cartoon drawings and art images and collages.

 

Fifthly, Jummar supports women and men journalists, developing their capabilities, and encouraging the younger generation of journalists from in and outside of Iraqi media colleges 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 centred on facilitating learning and dialogue between the journalist and the editorial board. It is also working on building effective training programmes 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 trust in teamwork and partnerships. Jummar has built and seeks to build partnerships with media, research, artistic and technical institutions that intersect with our editorial policy.

 

We want to learn from you

Do you have a note or comment on Jummar’s content? Have you seen any inaccurate information that needs correcting? Did you find the language used in the article insulting, offensive or discriminatory against a group based on religious/sectarian/gender/class/geographical or other basis? Please contact us via: editor@jummar.media

 

Translations

It is the long-term aim of Jummar to create and commission bespoke English language content for the website. Until then, we will provide our English-speaking Iraq-watchers with a selection of content which has been translated from the Arabic language.