CRIMINAL LIABILITY OF A JOURNALIST FOR COMMITTING PUBLISHING CRIMES

The great technological developments that the country is witnessing at the present time in communications and information programs have a major impact on the field of journalism, that is, an incident or news spreads in a few minutes, very quickly, and at a low cost, making it accessible to all members of society.The field of journalism and the journalist may play a major role and is considered the weapon that threatens corruption and the thrones of tyrants.The press is considered the fourth estate as well as a monitoring tool, in addition to its strong role in establishing the foundations of democracy in Iraq.Therefore, the journalist's role is, like any other, to defend the rights of others, except that she aims to be a tool for attacking him in the event that he exceeds his powers and uses them.Hence, the criminal liability for the journalist committing publishing crimes arises in the journalist and the press's adherence to carrying out his assigned work, carrying out his role, and determining the scope of his freedom and the role he plays in the country.It often becomes clear that the press is misused, which leads to severe damage, whether to the interest of society or to the interest of individuals, especially since individuals have become accustomed to believing most of what they read in the press, whether news, articles, or other things, especially since the press is characterized by the speed of its spread and the intensity of its influence in particular.After the spread of modern means of communication, including the internet.Crimes committed by a journalist are considered crimes of opinion, which are punishable by law due to the expression of ideas, opinions, news, or information.The law sets as a general rule that the expression occurs in public in order to punish him with the penalty prescribed for it.Journalism crimes are crimes of opinion, and therefore it can be any form of publicity stipulated in the Iraqi penal code no.