Ahmad Al-Rikaby.(Interview)

Iraqi exile Ahmad Al-Rikaby just quit his dream job. Formerly the voice of Radio Free Iraq, Al-Rikaby was handpicked by Washington to head up a TV station for the new Iraq Media Network (IMN)--a project that he says became like his "child." But only five months after being appointed, he joined several other Western-trained staffers leaving IMN, frustrated by a perceived lack of support from the station's U.S. management. Al- Rikaby discussed the American approach to Iraqi media last week with NEWSWEEK's Liat Radcliffe. Excerpts:

Why did you resign from IMN?

I resigned because I couldn't carry on with my work anymore with not enough resources and a lack of basic [tools] to create proper television. There was criticism in the Iraqi street against IMN and I agreed with that criticism. But unfortunately I couldn't do much. People were asking for more information, for a better news bulletin, for more programs, for better programs. It took me many years to create credibility and [cultivate my] reputation among the [Iraqi] people, and I didn't want to lose it for the sake of other people.

Who is responsible for lack of support you received?

I believe that the people in the White House, in Washington, they would like to see a media network which they could be proud of and which could be an example for the rest of the Middle East. Unfortunately, the dream was given to the wrong people to fulfill. What there should have been were people who know how to run a media outlet, people who have experience in the field, people who have an understanding of the political situation of the country, of the culture of the country, and people willing to invest in this project. [There wasn't.]

IMN has been criticized for being both a media network and the mouthpiece of the Coalition Provisional Authority.

One of the problems with IMN is that the identity of IMN is not clear. It's not clear whether it's an Iraqi BBC or whether it's a government network or a private network. In the beginning when we started, the goal was to create something like the BBC, a public-service radio and television [network]. But then after a while, management said, "No, this is not our mission, we are the Coalition's radio and TV."