The editorial and administrative team, journalists and stakeholders of KirkukNow revised the strategic plan of the institution for the next three years (2023-2026), reorganized the tasks, vision and work plan, drafted and elected a new structure. Hereafter, a three-member management will be in place.
The strategic workshop was held on November 14, 2022 and the strategy was approved on Sunday, January 8th, 2023.
The approved strategy states that 2023 will be the beginning of the implementation of the new three-year strategy for KirkukNow.
The new strategy is the harvest of eleven years of journalistic work and intensive discussions by our staff, journalists and partners who have extensive experience with the “disputed territories” as defined in Iraq's permanent constitution. This strategy emphasizes making the most of our journalist skills and resources, serving the population of these areas and establishing a professional media landscape.
According to the strategy, a three-member board was elected: Shorish Khalid as Director/Editor-in-chief, Niyan Omar as Chief Finance Officer CFO, and Ahang Hussein as Development Officer.
According to the approved strategy, an advisory board will be re-elected that will be able to provide advice and monitor the performance of KirkukNow, taking into account gender equality, including legal, administrative and financial, media and organizational experts.
First: Ahang Hussein has been elected as Development Officer, Shoriksh Khalid as director/editor-in-chief and Niyan Omer as Chief Finance Officer CFO. Salam Omer
KirkukNow is an independent media institution that focuses on publishing developments within or relevant to the “disputed territories” with the aim of promoting coexistence in those areas and providing easy access to information.
KirkukNow’s mission is to inform and engage communities of the disputed territories in Iraq. At the same time, it works to develop the capacity of journalists throughout the country.
"Our mission is to become the leading media outlet in the disputed territories.”
The writing of this strategy came after three months of discussions, surveys, workshops and consultations with KirkukNow staff, stakeholders, partners, local and foreign media and organizational experts.
This is the second time the institution restructures its strategy: after at the end of 2016, we developed a long-term strategy to use the media as a tool to promote peace and coexistence. To achieve this, KirkukNow has decided to expand its coverage to include all the areas defined as “the disputed territories” by the Iraqi constitution, a mosaic include the provinces of Kirkuk and Ninewa, and parts of Diyala and Salahaddin provinces.
During this period, KirkukNow professionally covered the disputed territories, served as a platform for underprivileged groups, and gave voice to religious and ethnic communities, the displaced, women, children and all those whose voices are not heard well in the media. All this through the production of genuine local stories per international standards of professional media.
Salam Omer, editor-in-chief of KirkukNow, has received the award of most progressive media outlet in 2019-2020 to KirkukNow by Internews International.
First: KirkukNow has become the best local institution for producing professional and genuine journalistic pieces
Second: KirkukNow has become the best media institution for covering journalistic issues of marginalized communities
Third: KirkukNow received the Most Progressive Media Outlet award in 2019-2020 by Internews International, in a competition for Iraqi media outlets that have paid attention to covering women's and gender issues:
Fourth: KirkukNow has won at least six local awards for its coverage of human rights and freedom of expression
Fifth: The stories produced by KirkukNow have been published by dozens of local institutions in all over Iraq, including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region IKR, in the recent years
In general, the aim of writing this new strategy comes after that most of the previous strategies have been accomplished, but now since we are heading toward a new stage, the new needs and challenges are different require up-today vision and stories.
KirkukNow was established in April 2011. KirkukNow website is the only independent media outlet that focuses on the developments in the entire "disputed territories" and the relevant changes.
KirkukNow thanks its partners and endeavors to continue its mission to inspire and encourage journalists to produce genuine pieces no matter how complicated the circumstances in the disputed territories.
Kirkuk Naw would also like to thank its partners whom since its establishment, have worked together in various ways, in particular (Wadi Association for Crisis Assistance and Development Cooperation, Free Press Unlimited FPU, Minority Rights Group MRG, Hivos, Internews, European Endowment for Democracy EED, Ceasefire center for civilian rights, and Deutsche Welle DW Akademie).
