Iraq's newspapers never used to have much variety -- they all carried the same long speeches by Saddam Hussein. Now, Iraqi readers can choose from politics, economics, sports, gossip and plenty of scandal.

Since Saddam's overthrow in April, scores of new papers have sprung up, exercising freedom of expression not seen in Iraq for decades.

"We didn't have newspapers before. They were sheets of paper which published Saddam's long speeches," said Akram Hussein Thabet, deputy editor-in-chief of Al-Sabah (The Morning), a newspaper backed by the U.S.-led administration.

Al-Sabah, the only official newspaper, prints about 50,000 copies an issue and comes out twice a week. It is the second biggest seller in Iraq, behind Azzaman, an independent daily run by former dissident Saad al-Bazzaz.

"All the 50,000 copies of Azzaman that we publish daily run out and we are targeting 250,000 in a few months," editorial manager Ahmed Abdul Majeed told Reuters. The newspaper is printed in Baghdad and London.

Newspaper sellers say they are doing a roaring trade.

"I have counted 110 new newspapers since the fall of Saddam," said Noah al-Shammasi, who has run the Al-Ibdaa book and newspaper shop in Baghdad for more than 20 years.

"Before there were only five political daily newspapers and 12 weekly. More than half of them used to be run by Saddam's eldest son, Uday," he said. "I used to sell 100 newspapers a day during the former regime. Now I sell more than 200."

The third best seller in Shammasi's bookshop is Habzbooz, a comic tabloid newspaper brought out by Ishtar al-Yassiri, a young journalist who used to work on one of Uday's papers.

A TEST OF FREEDOM

Many of the new papers rely on scandal and sensationalism to sell copies, carrying the latest crime and entertainment news and gossip about the antics of Saddam and his family.

Some have also tapped into the growing anti-American anger brewing in Iraq in a bid to sell papers.

Al Sabah, which carries the official announcements of the U.S.-led administration, reported recently that newspapers had been banned from inciting violence against Iraq's U.S. occupiers, part of a law issued by the administration outlawing the incitement of violence.

How this ban works in practice will be an important test of the freedom of the media.

"The decision doesn't fit with the U.S. announcement that they came here to liberate Iraq and set up a democratic system," said journalist Khadhim Achrash.

"Iraqi journalists, who just got rid of the restrictions that the former government used to impose, won't accept any measure that would restrict freedom of expression.

"I don't think the Americans will enforce this decision because I'm sure they don't want to clash with Iraqi journalists."

The U.S. military this month took the unusual step of issuing a statement to deny a story in Al-Saah (The Hour) that said U.S. troops had raped two girls. The statement said the story was an abuse of media freedom.

The newspaper, run by prominent Iraqi Muslim cleric Ahmed al-Qubaysi, responded by firing the journalist who reported the story. Qubaysi was the first Iraqi cleric to lead a protest in Baghdad demanding that U.S.-led troops leave Iraq.

POLITICAL PARTIES FUEL MEDIA BOOM

Many of the new papers represent political parties which opposed Saddam and worked underground during his rule, or which have sprung up since his overthrow.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's Al-Itihad (Union) was the first newspaper to be published in Baghdad after Saddam fell. It was followed by Al-Taakhi (Brotherhood), published by another Kurdish group, the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Both parties had ruled autonomous zones in northern Iraq since soon after the 1991 Gulf War that ejected Iraqi troops from Kuwait.

Iraqi parties including the Iraqi National Congress, the Communist party, the Islamic Dawa party and the Iranian-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) all have their own new newspapers.

Independent papers have also been launched by well-known Iraqi journalists and businessmen -- including confectionery tycoon Ali al-Hamdani, who publishes the weekly al-Jamaheer (The Masses).

Some readers are overwhelmed.

"I used to read and finish our newspapers in five to 10 minutes," said Ghasan al-Ghadhi, an Iraqi journalist. "Now if I want to read some of them, it can take a whole day."

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