Speaking
after the launch of his Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed (The New Morning)
paper, he denied getting funds from the U.S. or suffering any
constraints on his editorial policy.
Zaher
boasted his newly-born paper sold 20,000 editions only six hours after
circulation, hoping it would draw as many 100,000 readers.
This,
he added, is attainable because, along with increasing public support
and donations, more journalists are showing interest to joint his
editorial team.
"Before,
a lot of Iraqis thought we were pro-American, but not now. Everyone is
coming to talk to us now."
'Pentagon
Control'
Al-Sabah,
along with Al-Iraqiya television and a number of radio stations, are
run by Harris Corp., a Florida-based firm, through a 96-million-dollar
Pentagon contract.
"A
U.S. company called SAIC, which had funding from the Pentagon, was in
charge of the oversight of this [Al-Sabah] newspaper," he
said.
"But
then SAIC was replaced by Harris Corporation, who had no experience
with the media to oversee us," Zaher complained.
"Harris
Corporation told us we could not be independent, due to [Coalition
Provisional Authority] CPA Order 66, which stated that Al-Sabah
had to be included in a new media group. They did this without our
knowing about it, and we refused".
He
said this action would have linked the newspaper to Harris Corporation
and the Pentagon for the next two years and allow Pentagon to run it.
They
did not want the paper to publish the names of U.S. soldiers who had
been killed in Iraq, Zayer recalled, adding that a U.S. general came
to their offices to talk to his staff and pressure them.
The
Iraqi journalist accused Harris of interfering in the paper's
workings, including trying to stop some of its advertising and
speaking to reporters about articles.
Among
the ads Harris tried to prevent was one from a new political
organization, the Iraqi Republican Group, criticizing the
"grieves of occupation" and appealed to Iraqi elite to rally
"to preserve our nation from destruction."
They
were told the ad was "too political".
"I
have to be independent. I told them I would leave, and most of the
journalists would leave with me," Zayer stated.
As
he prepared to quit, Harris Corporation raised the salaries of his
employees by 40% in an attempt to attract them to stay with Al-Sabah.
"It
did not work. When I left to begin my own independent paper, Al-Sabah
Al-Jadeed, nearly 100% of the staff came with me".
Before
he left Al-Sabah, the paper had a circulation of 75,000 which
later dropped to 41,000.
'Thankful'
The
senior Iraqi editor thanked the American people for toppling the
dictator Saddam Hussein.
However,
he said, "everything following this has been different. I will
not give them the right to confiscate my right!"
Perhaps
a model of hope for Iraqi businesses who wish to be independent, Al-Sabah
Al-Jadeed is off to a running start in its new office completely
free of the U.S. administration and Pentagon control.
"We
are on our land, our country-and this contractor will tell me how to
be independent? No!" he continued, with resilience.
"We
left. We got out. They can keep their money. We’ll be independent in
our own way".
