The Feast and Famine of Iran Coverage in U.S. Media

For the past twenty-five years, I have lived in America, first as a reluctant transplanted Iranian always looking pastward, and later, as an exile reconciled with the chronic condition that exile always brings -- most notably an arthritic heart. In the first half of my stay, I was astounded by the leanness of the news coverage of Iran which was biblically vast. In the second half, beginning in 1997, I was grieving the bounty -- so skewed, so dilettantish -- that I prayed for the lean years to return. These cycles of ebb and flow resembled the spikes and dips of a feverish fit far more than the evenness that good reporting demands. Thus rendering the coverage of Iran in American media as consistently flawed.

From the dark hole of newslessness of the 1980s and early 1990s emerged a smiling, "reformist cleric" who commanded the headlines. Whereas Iran's love affair with President Khatami which began in 1997 had ended by 1999 when he failed to join the students who had taken to the streets in support of his agenda, that of the American journalists continued well into Khatami's second term. The essence of most of the news coverage of that era was far less about Iran than it was about the observers' lack of familiarity with that country and its people. Over and over again, the stories tended to be self-centered pronouncements about the Iranians' love of all things American or the Iranian urbanites' penchant for all things western. The surprise of finding teenage Iranians swinging their hips to the tunes of Madonna, consuming alcohol, dreaming of fast cars, and hosting secret house parties revealed the unpreparedness with which these reporters had gone about taking on a highly sophisticated nation with an ancient history of coping with dictators.

Khatami's rise, his amiable manners and surprising panache, gave many among the American intelligentsia the perfect opportunity for the kind of introspection into the CIA's sins of 1953 that was long over due. But as it was coming fifty years too late, it served mostly as a necessary exercise in self-absolution and a diplomatic opportunity for rapprochement. But it was hardly the manifestation of the urgent needs of Iran's majority who were not even born when those sins had occurred.

Little was reported in the Khatami years about what the regime wished to keep obscure: The women's struggle for equal rights, the plight of the religious and ethnic minorities, the labor strikes, the arrest and disappearance of scores of Bahai's, the regime's assassination campaign against the opposition around the world, the rampant corruption among the officialdom, or the deep mafia-like way by which several leading clerics were running Iran's economy -- something that is at the heart of the fissures within the leadership today.

This skewed coverage is the reason why American readers were so flummoxed by the results of Iran's 2004 presidential elections and the sudden emergence of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Instead of searching for flaws within, pundits began to blame Iran for being enigmatic. But this enigma, like most others, was only the product of flawed insight. The Bush years did not help. Any multifaceted assessment of Iran that included an account of the regime's mismanagement or mistreatment of its citizens was taunted as an invitation to another military occupation.

Those of us who follow Iran closely detected a direct correlation between lack of reporting on the state of the activists and minorities and the number of executions and detentions. What Iran's rulers may or may not do with the nuclear bomb in the future remains to be seen. But the coverage of Iran's nuclear development cast such a shadow over all other events in Iran that the phantom bomb has already devastated the lives of hundreds of activists who either perished or are languishing in obscurity in prisons. Iran's chief pyromaniac, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, knows well how to ignite the headlines. His proposed Holocaust cartoon exhibit generated thousands of reports about his intentions. But when the exhibit began and its halls went unfrequented, it was barely reported. His arsonous rhetoric against Israel so blinded the attentions in its blaze that no one could see the valiant journalists and intellectuals who were arrested for criticizing him for diverting much needed funds at home to Hamas and Hezballah.

Was it macho adventurism that attracted so many to cover the nuclear issue at the expense of all else? Or was it self-centrism at work once more? Or were they all victims of the misconception that covering the invisible side of Iran was of no value to westerners audiences? Committing to continuously watching the state of human rights in Iran is not simply an exercise in altruism Americans must embrace against their own interests. It is the only way to learn the full spectrum of the behavior of a system which is detrimental to the global peace. It is the only way a sound policy can be forged.

Today, once again, Iran is receiving another bounty of coverage. But this column is to remind all those who are covering Iran now that if they partake in the feast, they must be there for the famine that is sure to follow. Green is not the last color to symbolize the quest of Iranians, and Mousavi, the true winner of the 2009 elections, is merely an incidental figure on the road of the nation's thirty-year struggle for freedom and equal rights.

It is also to remind fellow expatriates that it is not enough to explain to Americans that Ahmadinejad and his band of thugs do not represent Iran and Iranians. They must believe that fact themselves and remember that a nation's dignity does not only stem from the glories of its past, but also from the undaunted way it goes about ridding itself of those who deface that past.

Comments

[carolrhill814]

We don't have to be shown what is going on there we already know because they don't really have the right to vote like we do they just do as a show and that is the way it has been since the beginning of time.

[bergerkos]

The lopsidedness of the mass media information was well seen in their presentation of the Russian-Georgian war of recently.
Russia was the culprit by ALL reports, you know, just ALL of them. Except for the Russian reports, of course. But that was NOT a media reporting; that was rather to make Russia understand what US (and "all civilized world") were feeilng about it. Was it not ridiculous to see, how people expressed their "righteous indignation" in their blogs, without caring to just think a bit. That their opinion "just happened" to be clone of the mass media presentations, you know.

Of course, later on the truth about that war started to appear here and there... I think, it took some 2-3 WEEKS before it did. I wander if the bloggers felt fooled, he-he.

So, if you know the truth about Iran, I will be very thankful if you take the trouble to write about it. Why waste your time on lamenting the state of the US media? I can say the same about MOST media channels, alas.

[paymaan]

Basically as the events unfold the demands and the wishes of Iranian people would have no break on it. It is going all the way in up rooting the Regime (the terror Regime) and all its organisations etc.
It is clear that the some Media’s line still is with keeping the status quo of the whole Islamic Regime in Iran. This is a futile attempt this time and in the coming future Iranian people would Dictate the paste of event in Iran.
Tehran June 2009

[paymaan]

In Iran we don’t have a Government we have a regime. Its called Islamic Republic Regime. The people have got up to overthrow this Terror Regime out. All its leaders, all its organisations must go. Y Where are Western Liberals now?Are they Still supporting Arab Terrorist Islamists?

The Overthrow of Islamic Republic Regime, is taking place through out Iran.
The way that the Western Media ( BBC, VOA in particular BBC, VOA, Persian service) is giving the information about the situation, is Miss informing and disinformation at best.
The are reporting as if this uprising is just about the so called ''the election result'' !!
Reporters are fully aware that the people of Iran have tactically used this so called election to overthrow the Islamic Republic Regime.
It is clear TO ANYONE SPEAKING Persian that the chants are Death to the Dictator, Down with the Leader, we don’t want religious regime, and so on...Some Medias are trying to show these facts in such way which gives the listener or the viewer the impression that people of Iran want just "Reform" within this theological system. !!!
Nothing is further from the truth. Without going into analysing the so called reform movement, any informed person would know that the people of Iran pretended to back the so called Reformist candidate because he clearly talked about Dismantling the Theological system.
Tehran June 2009

[Macready]

Great article . . . thank you for posting . . . the US should stay out of Iranian politics . . . quite frankly I doubt they understand it . . .

American MSM well for years it has been a dumbing down process . . .controlled by ratings and conservatives and murdoch who has been given far too much control of the air waves . . .

There is no objectivity in the news, no investigative reporting . . . think about the NYTimes and the build up to the illegal invasion of Iraq . . . it is corporate America at its homogenised worst . . .

American journalism for the most part only sees the rest of the world as a reflectiion of itself and to propagandise its own interests and point of view . . . on one hand America is isolationist and on the other has imperialistic tendencies . . . it believes too much in its own myth .. . this was not helped by the fact that with the demise of the Soviet Union it was the only superpower remaining after the Cold War . . . but like so much it was the ugly American that dominated its blinkered foreign policies . . . in the Middle East that it has been the AIPAC and israel .. at home the extreme right has been encouraged to grow and come out of the boon docks . . why to support the neo

[Macready]

just to finish . . .

why to support the neo con agenda . . . for war war war . . . to benefit the oil companies . . . and erode fundamental democracy . . if cheney could have instituted a dictatorship . . I have no doubt he would have the GOP followed like sheep . . . the world got a glimpse of the underbelly of American democracy in 2000 . . . with Katrina . . in 2004 . . . this isn't helped by the fact that only about 23% of Americans actually have passports . . . that is millions who know nothing about nothing except their own backyard . .

[monelis]

I just hope that the Western Powers do not intervene in Iran’s recent uprising and destroy the people’s hope. Even though we claim that we want democracy in the Middle East in fact, contrary to popular belief as long at least one barrel of oil left in ground, ME countries are consumers and prisoners of the West.

However due to the 1979 revolution there are at least 2-3 million exiled Iranians live abroad. Living in Iran under Shah’s police state and Mullah’s theocracy made people hungry for politics and hopefully by now they have learned the Western Games and ready to play the chess tournment.

[dagumpster]

I thought Roya's article was quite thoughtful. The problem with the US coverage is the US media always covers from a US slant as in what this means for US. The questions that are posed and comments made by so called experts often baffle me because I don't any more from listening other than what anything means for the US which at times can be helpful but it not the only news that should be reported. I got the perception from the US media of gloating over the demonstrations after the election. Before that they only thing we heard about Iran is nuclear weapons and Ahmadinejad's antics. Too much is made of both.

[JudgeMoonbox]

Another problem is that the media is too solicitous towards the Republicans lest they be accused of Liberal bias. Imagine that the GOP actually believed the media was that Liberal; wouldn't John McCain anticipate that his call for toughness as a substitute for effectiveness would be depicted by cartoons showing that the Republican Elephant was a good symbol for their sense of subtlety?

[piloto]

Iran is Biblically vast? Skewed coverage? I flew with an Iranian during the first gulf war in school so I got educated quick on the Persian culture. Supreme Leader runs the puppet who runs the country. Very 2 dimensional so what is lacking in the coverage? Most citizens are under 25 and anti govt. Boring read not sure the point. Keep covering Iran? wake me up when the uprising is done and lets see the new head on the serpent. Time to launch that air strike everybody keeps wanting. Any Iranian nuke is fair game. All the Sam operators are yelling in the street.

[Shrinath]

Still suffering from gloc? The point is very clear. Once the momentum was lost. This a much precious second chance. The message is clear. The protesters better see their man in place else the mad mullahs will come down with great force. All of us in the free world can do the least and show support and solidarity. What you suggest is just a another recipe for a charlie foxtrot like the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[RofWH]

Silly woman! Pick a country. Any country. Follow that country in the U.S. media for a year. You will find that unless something important to the U.S. is happening, or something rather odd or of human interest, there will be virtually nothing being reported. So don't expect Americans to be much aware or very interested in the day-to-day stuff in any country.

On the other hand every country seems to report everything going on here, good, bad or just silly.

[BlueZoo]

In all of these articles, I've yet to see one Iranian explain that Iran is a theocracy and, as such, is run by the mullahs. This election has struck at the heart of this theocracy, as it was patently obvious that the people want their vote to count for something. As one sign said: It's an election, not a selection! The mullahs chose the man who they knew was under their control. Mousavi, however, is only a bit more progressive and only in Iran itself, not abroad. The real crux of this mess lies with the mullahs and it is they who the Iranian people must plead their case with. It is worth noticing that Ahmadinejad was spirited off to Russia immediately after the election and that all edicts have been coming down from the mullahs. I've no idea if the Russia trip was planned before this election but I would doubt it. This absence, alone, should tell you who really runs the political as well as theocratic future of Iran.

[maddie0001]

Actually, you could look it up and see the trip was planned before hand.

Personally, this looks like one political hack against another political hack. I have yet to hear what's so great about Mousavi, except Americans insist on thinking "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". It's like a certain country that kept saying all their problems would dissapear with Yassir Arafat. Guess what, they found a new boogyman.

Another thing, at least the Iranians know who's really pulling the strings. We only get to pick from two guys, both paid for by...?

[graceonline]

Thank you for this post. One can only imagine at what personal risk you may have written. I am as ignorant as anyone of Iranian affairs and appreciate your taking the time to share your experience and your views. Other commenters point out that yours may be a biased perspective, but isn't that true of any individual? A personal perspective is always helpful. I'm pleased to know yours and hope to see more Iran-focused articles from you.

[viper234]

The US media needs to back off of this story and get down to in-depth coverage of major US news. For example, the Inspector General's report on the Bush Administration's torture program is due out tomorrow. No one is covering this story which is major news considering that, by all accounts, the report contains significant evidence of war crimes committed by the US government. The US also has two major wars raging in the Middle East where American lives are being lost but there is barely a mention of these wars in the news. With all due respect to the people of Iran, the US media is giving this story disproportionate coverage as if to distract the nation from other major news that Americans should be fully informed about.

[NOSMAVAN]

Of course the US media isn't going to cover the report that's due out tomorrow; it's much easier to point out the spliter in another person's eye, than the log in one's own.

It is not "as if" to distract us; it IS to distract us. It's all about distraction and keeping Cheney and his gang out of jail.

[HekmabaJuzimax]

If I had a log in my eye, I don't think I'd be conscious. Maybe I'd be dreaming of visiting Iran, meeting friendly people and sipping on pina colada.

[jackwaddington]

There is an extremely surprising subliminal notion coming out of this Iranian vote. No-one, so far, seems to have touched on it. 'Voting' is what is becoming questionable. Like all statistical studies; depending on how the study is framed is the major factor in the outcome. It is the same with voting; depending on the way the options are framed will depend on the outcome--proving that the counting is legitimate. A factor that we here in the US aren't able to be reliable about either.

This puts into question the nature of 'representational democracy' as opposed to 'real democracy'. Once representatives are in power, then the will of the voters is 'a way down the line' consideration. While there is no ability by the voters to recall a candidate after election, quickly, easily and directly, then we'll forever be imbued with corruption.

[aslotkin]

This article was a great disappointment. I was looking forward to enlightenment from one of the vast number of people who know more about Iran than I do. Instead we were told that we are being misinformed and have beeh misinformed in the past. I already knew that.

[Blutenhalbmond]

I am sincerely curious to learn about iran. Many blame ahmedinajad for the economic mess. But how much is this mess due to the Iraq-Iran war where Saddam hussein was encouraged to attack iran and received considerable from the US satellites and financial help from its Arab allies? How much is it due to the economic embargoes imposed by the US? Would any pro US Iranian leader have done better?

Second, how much can I or we, trust any reporting by anyone of a country as iran about which it is hard to be objective and not slanted?

How much can I trust an article by a Westernised, feminist writer from a non Muslim minority sect (with the inevitable angst of her own) to genuinely enlighten me? That is the problem here. Lack of ojectivity. Everyone tries to sell us their point of view. I see millions of people flock to cheer Ahmedinijad as well as his opponent. People are sill crazy about Ayotollah R.Khomeini.

i sincerely would like to learn as to where the Iranians (villagers, men on the street ) stand. I must learn farsi and go to see things for myself!