FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

At the offices of "Habaz Booz" the printing presses are churning out the latest issue of Baghdad's only satirical magazine.

Under the former regime, the editor, Ishtar el Yassiri, would never have been allowed to print the publication.

"It is slightly strange for me, of course. I am writing freely. I am not used to this. Everyone is writing what they want. It's good."

She is right when she says "everyone" is writing. Baghdad used to have 15 different newspapers.

Now by all estimates it is well over 100.

And they look a lot different these days.

In the past the party controlled everything. Saddam Hussein's picture had to be on every front page.
Now there are images of American troops on the streets of Baghdad. How times have changed.

Out on the street, in the baking sun, Julie Khan is trying to sell subscriptions for her newspaper.

Even Julie, who left northern England and moved to Iraq 10 years ago, is finding it all a bit bewildering.

"This sudden new found freedom is something a bit hard to come to terms with. The idea of democracy is also something very difficult for us as a community to come to terms with."

Almost every sector of society now seems to have a voice.

That, though, comes with a price. Some see freedom as a chance to print anything.

There was for instance the recent report on the sunglasses US soldiers use to see through women's clothing!

Responsible journalists

But other reports are more dangerous.

The al-Mustiqilla newspaper went further, publishing an article calling for all those who collaborate with the US to be killed.

The Coalition Provisional Authority which runs Iraq shut it down.

Not censorship, says their chief spokesman, Charles Heatley.

"When there are clearly incitements we do have words with those concerned.