Journalists associations
The Iraqi civil society did not stand still in front of the IJS' failure to protect journalists, on the contrary, it has successfully organised itself in several organisations, in some cases thanks to the support of INGOs.
The aforementioned Journalistic Freedoms Observatory (JFO) was set up in Baghdad in 2004 and it now has a branch also in the US. Its activities include the launch of campaigns to denounce violations, the provision of legal and cyber-security support, as well as escorting foreign journalists in Iraq and facilitating the residency procedures. On its website, the JFO explicitly recognizes the US crucial role in shaping the Iraqi "free media" after Saddam. The observatory is supported by International Media Support, Reporters Without Borders, the Doha Centre for Media Freedom and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Another noteworthy association is the Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq (PFAAI), which was previously known as the Society for Defending Press Freedom in Iraq. In 2013, the PFAAI, in partnership with the Iraqi Network for Social Media (INSM), an Iraqi network of bloggers and citizen journalists and a second civil society organisation called Iraqi Street, have successfully lobbied the Iraqi parliament to block the enactment of a repressive cyber law (Draft Informatics Crimes Law) that stipulated fines of up to $40,000 and penalties of up to life imprisonment.