A doctoral dissertation titled “Levels of Iraqi News Agencies’ Pages on Social Media Platforms Compliance with Professional Journalistic Standards: A Survey Study” was discussed at the College of Mass Communication, University of Baghdad, by researcher Fatima Mathna Hassan.
The examination committee was chaired by Professor Dr Wissam Fadil Radi, with Professor Dr Shukriya Kawkaz Al-Sarraj serving as supervisor. The committee also included Assistant Professor Dr Nada Aboud Jarallah, Assistant Professor Dr Falah Hassan Ali, and Assistant Professor Dr Ria Qahtan Ahmed, as well as Professor Dr Taha Abdul-Ati Mustafa as an external examiner.
The study aimed to measure the level of Iraqi news agencies’ adherence on social media platforms to journalistic professional standards, including accuracy and verification prior to publication, objectivity, separating news from opinion, and maintaining balance.
The findings revealed several professional and digital challenges facing news agencies, most notably the loss of journalistic exclusivity, declining adherence to professional standards, and the indirect contribution to misinformation due to weak internal regulation and insufficient training in digital publishing tools.
The dissertation recommended the need to qualify journalists and administrative staff in Iraqi news agencies through specialised training programmes, allocate budgets to support technical infrastructure, and establish agreements and partnerships with regional and international news agencies to benefit from their expertise and experience.
The study aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, which emphasises ensuring public access to information and protecting fundamental freedoms.
