Layalina Productions, Inc. | The Layalina Review: "Iran Bans Media Coverage

The Layalina Review

VOL. V NO. 13, June 05-June 18, 2009

Iran Bans Media Coverage

Very shortly after the elections in Iran, the government slowed the speed of the Internet and limited access to Web sites in ways that show the growing technical skills of the country's Web censors, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Iranians have shared online images, video, emails and "tweets" about the protests and spreading violence -- circumventing state-controlled media. As the protests increased, so did the government’s control and repressive measures to curb the flow of information.

The Wall Street Journal explains that the government has also put stringent limits on reporters' access to demonstrations. The protests made the front-page news across the Middle East, with heavy coverage on Al-Jazeera and other Arab satellite news outlets.

However, the reporting ban affects all foreign reporters, Western and non-Western alike. “Iranian state media released footage and still photos of a rally in support of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but few camera crews appeared to brave the ban to capture footage of supporters of challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi,” reports the news site.

The National concurs, pointing out the numerous foreign media outlets which have been banned from reporting in the streets of Iran, as the protests continue into their third day. The Culture Ministry said journalists could continue to work from their offices but that it was canceling press accreditation for all foreign media, Reuters reported.

“I wouldn’t speculate about why they’ve done this,” said John Pullman, the head of output at Al-Jazeera English. “They say it is because they cannot guarantee the security of people on the streets.”

Since Sunday, Al-Arabiya has been reporting on the situation in Iran from its Dubai headquarters. “Now we rely on calling eyewitnesses from the newsroom, and try to compare different versions to get the real picture,” said Dr Nabil al Khatib, the executive editor of Al-Arabiya.

The National reports that, according to commentators, there was evidence of editorial differences between Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya’s reporting, claiming that Al-Jazeera may have taken side with the Iranian government.

“My impression was that they are hitting both sides,” said Tuqan Tuqan, a Palestinian IT and television consultant who was keeping an eye on Al-Jazeera’s Arabic coverage over the weekend from his home in Stockholm.

BBC also complained of an electronic jamming that occurred shortly before the election and that has further deteriorated since, according to Digital Journal.

“This seems to be part of the Iranian Authorities’ plan to limit news coverage of the possible consequences of a contentious election” declared Peter Horrocks, Director of the BBC World Service. “Any attempt at jamming BBC Persian is unjustified and is contrary to international treaties concerning communication satellites.”

Other reports from Tehran indicate that social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have been taken down since the elections. SMS texting services have also been curtailed.

The media organization Reporters Without Borders, which campaigns for press freedom, issued a statement today that read: “The blocking of access to foreign news media has been stepped up. In addition to the blocking of the BBC’s website, the Farsi-language satellite broadcasts of the Voice of America and BBC — which are very popular in Iran — have been partially jammed.”

Gulf Arab governments, fearing growing Iranian power in the region, gave a muted reaction to hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election victory, reports Reuters. "Falsifying the results is the easiest of tasks for a religious-security regime that does not believe in leaving to chance what it considers to be its right," wrote Abdul-Rahman al-Rashed in Saudi daily Asharq-Alawsat.

Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV said Iran had closed its office for a week without reason. "The Saudis are paranoid about Iran and have even more reason to be so after Ahmadinejad's reelection," said a Western diplomat in Riyadh.

Around 200 Iranians demonstrated outside the Iranian consulate in Dubai on Monday. Dubai has become a haven for Iranians escaping United Nations sanctions on Iran. "The only reason I support Ahmadinejad's election win is his bold defiance of the United States with the nuclear program," said Suhail Al-Rajhi, an Omani secondary school teacher.

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