Shafaq News 2025 annual review: Consolidation after expansion

Shafaq News

The year 2025 was a milestone for Shafaq News, marking 12 months of sustained operations defined by strategic expansion and progress in line with the agency’s approved plan, both in geographic coverage and professional presence at regional and international levels.

International Expansion and Official Recognition

This year, Shafaq News established a presence at major journalistic events in US decision-making centers, including the White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon, a first for an Iraqi media agency. This achievement reflects a qualitative shift in the agency’s profile, underscoring professional confidence in its editorial standards and verification processes.

Regional Presence: Establishing Operations in Syria

The agency also successfully launched operations in Syria, becoming the only Iraqi media organization officially licensed to operate there. This accreditation followed thorough reviews of coverage standards, source verification, and adherence to professional and ethical practices in sensitive and conflict-prone environments.

Recognition as a Trusted Source in Verification Systems

On May 29, 2025, Shafaq News was formally accredited in the Grok analytics system developed by xAI, earning classification as a “Trusted Source” for news verification, particularly concerning Iraq and the wider region. This recognition strengthened the agency’s role as a key reference within AI-driven verification systems.

From the start of the year, Shafaq News implemented a strategy aligned with Grok’s quality criteria, emphasizing source transparency, coherent news narratives, consistency between headlines and content, minimal corrections, and the ability to connect reporting to political, security, and economic contexts. Grok continues to rely on Shafaq News for regional coverage intersecting with Iraq, including developments in Syria, Iraqi-Iranian relations, regional conflicts affecting Iraq, and energy and border security matters.

Content availability in both Arabic and English significantly expanded its use in English-language analyses, particularly on Iraqi economic issues, regional security, and intersections with international policy.

Strengthening Strategic Partnership with BBC

A major development in 2025 was the reinforcement of the professional partnership with the BBC, moving from editorial collaboration and content reliance to a stage defined by consistent performance, reliability, and adherence to international journalistic standards.

This collaboration enabled Shafaq News, particularly through its English platform, to feature in high-standard media environments, including BBC podcasts and audio analysis platforms, which adopted and broadcast the agency’s content. The development enhanced trust in Shafaq News’ English reporting and attracted a specialized audience of decision-makers, researchers, and political and security analysts who rely on audio content as a primary source for understanding and insight.

The agency also expanded field coverage across all Iraqi provinces, increasing exclusive reporting from cities and regions beyond traditional news centers. This expansion relied on a growing network of correspondents and dynamic field operations covering Kurdistan, Baghdad, and central and southern provinces, ensuring timely information and multiple perspectives.

A professional visual media team produced documented coverage and field reports, presenting events authentically and connecting audiences to daily realities across provinces, reinforcing Shafaq News as a source based on direct observation rather than recycled reporting.

Editorial Output and Publication Rate

By December 24, 2025, Shafaq News had published 30,815 Arabic items, 14,558 English items, and 6,451 Kurdish items, totaling 51,824 original news pieces. This equates to an average of approximately 145 items daily across three languages, including breaking news, reports, investigations, and political, economic, and security follow-ups.

This volume was complemented by consistent editorial quality, reflecting stable newsroom operations under pressure. Distribution across Arabic, English, and Kurdish solidified Shafaq News as a platform serving local, regional, and international audiences and contributed to the growing reliance of automated verification and analysis systems on its content.

Fact-checking and automated analysis systems value not only source accuracy but also “temporal continuity”, the ability to maintain a continuous content record for cross-referencing with other sources, which Shafaq News delivers at scale. Importantly, this output was substantive rather than repetitive, coinciding with high engagement and reading quality, confirming that quantity supported depth and analysis.

Digital Performance Despite Technical Challenges

Despite recurring technical challenges in Iraq’s digital space, Shafaq News sustained a strong digital performance, reflecting both content strength and audience trust. Year-to-date, Google statistics recorded approximately 79 million active users, over 239 million pageviews, and a 75.5% engagement rate.

This performance reflects effective implementation of editorial strategies and the efficiency of correspondents, enabling continuous coverage of Iraqi and regional affairs and production of exclusive, high-value news recognized by decision-makers.

Shafaq News continues to position itself as a reference agency across multiple domains and as a source of accurate news for a wide spectrum of stakeholders, from citizens to real-time monitoring networks in global decision-making centers.

The year 2025 can be described as one of “consolidation after expansion,” transitioning from establishing presence to achieving institutional recognition and international accreditation. These accomplishments lay a strong foundation for the next phase, focused on enhancing quality, leveraging prior achievements, and reinforcing the agency’s role as a trusted regional source in a highly competitive and complex media landscape.