Media Sources in Iran
Media in Iran after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president in June 2005 has gone through new changes: restrictions, closures, and new technologically.
After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the media in Iran has faced financial and political problems. Several newspapers which differed from the government, reformist newspapers, have closed and the journalists have been jailed.
The newspapers are in a hard place because the government’s and the public’s demands differ; the government wants the media to keep in line with its views on news while the public want the newspapers to report independently, not the official news given by the government. That is why reading the news paper is decreasing; the official stats from Tehran figure that there are only 30 daily papers in print.
So, where do Iranians get there news: Internet, America, and other Iranians.
It has been estimated that seven million Iranians are online but people still face obstacles in getting news online because the government has started to filter web sites.
They can get news from America as well; Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice asked Congress recently for $75 million dollars to broadcasts and fund anti-government groups in Iran. However an official who had been part of the Clinton administration told the Washington Post that the anti-governments the Bush administration wants to fund have very little support inside Iran and cannot successfully challenge the Iranian government. Furthermore Iranians do not really trust America and Iran uses jamming technology to block America’s broadcasts.
Then there are the Iranians living outside of Iran who have more credibility than American broadcasts and who the American government has also started to fund. Iranians living outside use the internet to provide Iranians with news and an outlet for Iranians to express themselves. However most are anti-government and openly support the Shah’s son. They also face problems because their news sources come from average Iranians; they do not usually have journalists on ‘the ground.’
In general it seems that Iranians access to the press and information is limited and they face many restrictions and biases.
After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the media in Iran has faced financial and political problems. Several newspapers which differed from the government, reformist newspapers, have closed and the journalists have been jailed.
The newspapers are in a hard place because the government’s and the public’s demands differ; the government wants the media to keep in line with its views on news while the public want the newspapers to report independently, not the official news given by the government. That is why reading the news paper is decreasing; the official stats from Tehran figure that there are only 30 daily papers in print.
So, where do Iranians get there news: Internet, America, and other Iranians.
It has been estimated that seven million Iranians are online but people still face obstacles in getting news online because the government has started to filter web sites.
They can get news from America as well; Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice asked Congress recently for $75 million dollars to broadcasts and fund anti-government groups in Iran. However an official who had been part of the Clinton administration told the Washington Post that the anti-governments the Bush administration wants to fund have very little support inside Iran and cannot successfully challenge the Iranian government. Furthermore Iranians do not really trust America and Iran uses jamming technology to block America’s broadcasts.
Then there are the Iranians living outside of Iran who have more credibility than American broadcasts and who the American government has also started to fund. Iranians living outside use the internet to provide Iranians with news and an outlet for Iranians to express themselves. However most are anti-government and openly support the Shah’s son. They also face problems because their news sources come from average Iranians; they do not usually have journalists on ‘the ground.’
In general it seems that Iranians access to the press and information is limited and they face many restrictions and biases.
posted by sfarooqu at 8:51 AM
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