User:Nablais/Shameem Rassam

• Shameem Rassam

Shameem Rassam

Notes:

"Shameem Rassam is an executive producer at Middle East Broadcast Networks. She has over thirty years in journalism and media, and has assisted the establishment of projects, such as the first FM Radio -Baghdad, Iraq, Arab Network of America Radio, the Iraqi Media Network (IMN), helped the Kuwaiti ministry of Information and prominent Arab figures to assist launching IMN radio, TV, and newsprint. Shameem also established and directed the first Iraqi new Radio, then as the Media Services Director, became director general of IMN Radio and TV, Baghdad Iraq. She actively promotes understanding of arts, culture, history, public affairs and current events of the Near East World."

"Shameem N. Rassam is a recognized media expert and television executive producer with over thirty years of experience in media programming, planning, budgeting, recruiting, training, and government relations with the Arab world. She worked for the Ministry of Information in Baghdad before becoming Radio Manager and TV consultant for the Arab Network of America in Washington, DC. She later worked as a reporter for Voice of America, an interpreter for the U.S. State Department, and as a manager for two Iraqi national radio stations and Al-Iraqiyah satellite television station. She served from 2003 to 2012 in a variety of roles instructing and advising US officials on communications, civil society, culture, history, and conflicts in Iraq and the Arab world. She most recently served as Executive Producer for Alhurra-Iraq TV in the Washington, DC area, where she oversaw news and current events programming, including issues related to Iraqi orphans and vulnerable children."

Shameem Rassam, left Iraq in 1990 for the United States, where she worked in Arab media and found herself on the State Department’s committee working to recreate Iraq’s media once Washington had removed the Baathist state. “Al-Jazeera is a news channel and I don’t want to compare IMN to Al-Jazeera. We want to cover that, of course, and we’re trying to establish more talk shows,” she said. “We’re still young and we’re still on the road, but I think we’ve established the first steps. We plan to have more bureaus in Iraq and around the region so that we are the voice of Iraq abroad. We are training people now. We want young Iraqis, but they were under the control of that system for 30 years, so it’s rehabilitation of the mind.”

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• C-Span Appearances