Why I work at Iran's Press TV
Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:22:25 GMT
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By Roshan Muhammed Salih, Press TV, London
The past few weeks have seen an unprecedented British media campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran. A campaign, which has focused almost exclusively on Iranian government opponents and ignored the voices of millions who voted for Iran's president. A campaign which has misrepresented a debate within the country about alleged vote-rigging and presented it as a threat to the Islamic Republic itself.
In the post-election aftermath, the likes of the BBC directed their ire at President Ahmadinejad and his government. But ever since the activities of British journalists in Tehran were restricted and the UK-Iran diplomatic spat erupted the media has switched its attention to Iranian interests in the UK such as my workplace Press TV.
A sneering and condescending reposrt by Newsnight last week accused us of being an Iranian regime mouthpiece. This has been followed up by articles in Murdoch-owned titles vilifying British journalists who work at Press TV. Since those reports were broadcast and published my colleagues have received hate mail and nuisance phone calls - I myself have received one death threat.
Nevertheless, and although I risk further vilification for saying it, let me be clear: I stand by Iran and I stand by Press TV.
In a nutshell, I work at Press TV because it broadcasts the truth about what is happening in the world, and fills a void that the mainstream media has left wide open. Press TV is willing to give a platform to legitimate actors who the western media will not touch, such as Hamas, Hezbollah and anti-occupation forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. While at the same time reporting what the authorities and the establishment are saying. In the West, we give a platform to those who hold up a mirror to society, such as the anti-war movement and social re+formers. While at the same time, letting those who are proud of all the West stands for have their say.
It is simply not fair to characterize Press TV as a mouthpiece for the Iranian government. It is true that we are state-funded (like France 24/ Aljazeera, Russia Today and the BBC World Service) but that does not mean we slavishly follow the Iranian government line. Our international staff is comprised of a huge variety of worldviews and nationalities. And we fully realize that in a modern media environment where viewers have access to a plethora of information, state propaganda is a thing of the past.
All you need to do is watch the channel (which most of our critics do not) to realize that Press TV gives a platform to a wide diversity of views - pro-Israel and anti-Iranian government among them. During the Iranian elections we covered all points of view - pro-Ahmadinejad, pro-Mousavi, anti-government and pro-government and reported on all post-election rallies and protests. We are also regulated by Ofcom, which means we must adhere to a strict set of broadcasting regulations regarding balance, due impartiality and objectivity. Rules which the newspaper industry is not subject to.
Now let me turn to the Islamic Republic of Iran, from which Press TV gets its funding. let me be clear: I believe It is a fundamentally decent government run by a fundamentally decent man.
The Iranian government supports Islam, it supports resistance movements in the Islamic world and it opposes western interference in the region. It is also a government which doesn't go around invading sovereign nations, killing their people and occupying their countries.
Many feel that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a corruption-free man of the people who speaks truth to power. They like the fact that he looks un-presidential, that he spends most of his time with the poor and powerless rather-than hob-nobbing with the rich and powerful. These are subjective views and I must stress that many of my colleagues at Press TV will disagree - this is the kind of diverse environment I work in.
I do not agree, however, with everything the Iranian government does. For example, I support the right to peaceful protest and the right of journalists to report freely. Despite this, I fully understand why the authorities have banned street demonstrations which have given fuel to a viscous anti-Iran Campaign.
And to be fair, they have managed to clear the streets without mowing people down, which I'm sure would happen in west-friendly neighboring countries. Moreover, if there are allegations of brutality against the authorities then the law must take its course, and if crimes have been committed, the guilty parties must be punished. I also do not agree with everything my employer does, but I guess if I insisted on agreeing 100 per cent with my paymasters then I would be down the job centre signing on.
What everyone must understand is that Iran Is a country under threat and countries under threat restrict freedoms. The West sponsored a war against Tehran in the 1980s at a huge cost to Iran in terms of blood and treasure. Western economic sanctions have remained in place for 30 years and continue to undermine Iran's economy. The US government has a massive destabilization program in place and we can safely assume that we are seeing the fruits of that on the streets of Tehran.
And the country remains under the threat of Israeli and western military attack. In short, Iran's institutions have not been allowed to develop in the same way that Britain's have, so it is unfair to judge it by the same yardstick when we talk about freedom.
That said, Iran remains a stable, peaceful country in a region of chaos and turmoil. It's people have more liberties than perhaps any other country In the Middle East and it has a government which rules with the consent of the majority. It is heading in the right direction. The dissatisfied minority will have to learn to live with the will of the majority, while the government must do all it can to placate them without compromising Iran's Islamic system.
After all, what is the alternative for the Islamic Republic to be overthrown and for Iran to descend into the kind of chaos we see in Iraq? And what for _ so that westernized women can remove their hijabs or so that the young can get drunk and listen to hip-hop? Ask anyone in Iraq what comes first - security or unfettered freedom- and the answer will be obvious
So if the anti-Iran brigade in the British media really want the country to reform itself and open up, perhaps they should call for an end to economic sanctions, military threats and destabilization programs, and allow Iran to continue with its peaceful nuclear program.
I am not saying Press TV or the Iranian government are perfect. I am sure we have made mistakes and will continue to make them in the future. Entrenched attitudes need to develop, a tolerance of different views needs to become the norm. But quite frankly that will inevitably happen once the West accepts the Islamic Republic for what it is, rather than treat it as a pariah just because it opposes western foreign policy.
My channel, Press TV, does not poison the minds of anybody - we simply report the fads and give a platform to a wide variety of opinion. That is what journalists are supposed to do. So instead of pontificating from a position of ignorance our critics should simply watch the channel - they may be surprised and they may learn something.
Roshan Muhammed Salih is Head of News in London for Press TV. This article was written in a personal capacity and does not necessarily reflect the views of the station.
The past few weeks have seen an unprecedented British media campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran. A campaign, which has focused almost exclusively on Iranian government opponents and ignored the voices of millions who voted for Iran's president. A campaign which has misrepresented a debate within the country about alleged vote-rigging and presented it as a threat to the Islamic Republic itself.
In the post-election aftermath, the likes of the BBC directed their ire at President Ahmadinejad and his government. But ever since the activities of British journalists in Tehran were restricted and the UK-Iran diplomatic spat erupted the media has switched its attention to Iranian interests in the UK such as my workplace Press TV.
A sneering and condescending reposrt by Newsnight last week accused us of being an Iranian regime mouthpiece. This has been followed up by articles in Murdoch-owned titles vilifying British journalists who work at Press TV. Since those reports were broadcast and published my colleagues have received hate mail and nuisance phone calls - I myself have received one death threat.
Nevertheless, and although I risk further vilification for saying it, let me be clear: I stand by Iran and I stand by Press TV.
In a nutshell, I work at Press TV because it broadcasts the truth about what is happening in the world, and fills a void that the mainstream media has left wide open. Press TV is willing to give a platform to legitimate actors who the western media will not touch, such as Hamas, Hezbollah and anti-occupation forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. While at the same time reporting what the authorities and the establishment are saying. In the West, we give a platform to those who hold up a mirror to society, such as the anti-war movement and social re+formers. While at the same time, letting those who are proud of all the West stands for have their say.
It is simply not fair to characterize Press TV as a mouthpiece for the Iranian government. It is true that we are state-funded (like France 24/ Aljazeera, Russia Today and the BBC World Service) but that does not mean we slavishly follow the Iranian government line. Our international staff is comprised of a huge variety of worldviews and nationalities. And we fully realize that in a modern media environment where viewers have access to a plethora of information, state propaganda is a thing of the past.
All you need to do is watch the channel (which most of our critics do not) to realize that Press TV gives a platform to a wide diversity of views - pro-Israel and anti-Iranian government among them. During the Iranian elections we covered all points of view - pro-Ahmadinejad, pro-Mousavi, anti-government and pro-government and reported on all post-election rallies and protests. We are also regulated by Ofcom, which means we must adhere to a strict set of broadcasting regulations regarding balance, due impartiality and objectivity. Rules which the newspaper industry is not subject to.
Now let me turn to the Islamic Republic of Iran, from which Press TV gets its funding. let me be clear: I believe It is a fundamentally decent government run by a fundamentally decent man.
The Iranian government supports Islam, it supports resistance movements in the Islamic world and it opposes western interference in the region. It is also a government which doesn't go around invading sovereign nations, killing their people and occupying their countries.
Many feel that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a corruption-free man of the people who speaks truth to power. They like the fact that he looks un-presidential, that he spends most of his time with the poor and powerless rather-than hob-nobbing with the rich and powerful. These are subjective views and I must stress that many of my colleagues at Press TV will disagree - this is the kind of diverse environment I work in.
I do not agree, however, with everything the Iranian government does. For example, I support the right to peaceful protest and the right of journalists to report freely. Despite this, I fully understand why the authorities have banned street demonstrations which have given fuel to a viscous anti-Iran Campaign.
And to be fair, they have managed to clear the streets without mowing people down, which I'm sure would happen in west-friendly neighboring countries. Moreover, if there are allegations of brutality against the authorities then the law must take its course, and if crimes have been committed, the guilty parties must be punished. I also do not agree with everything my employer does, but I guess if I insisted on agreeing 100 per cent with my paymasters then I would be down the job centre signing on.
What everyone must understand is that Iran Is a country under threat and countries under threat restrict freedoms. The West sponsored a war against Tehran in the 1980s at a huge cost to Iran in terms of blood and treasure. Western economic sanctions have remained in place for 30 years and continue to undermine Iran's economy. The US government has a massive destabilization program in place and we can safely assume that we are seeing the fruits of that on the streets of Tehran.
And the country remains under the threat of Israeli and western military attack. In short, Iran's institutions have not been allowed to develop in the same way that Britain's have, so it is unfair to judge it by the same yardstick when we talk about freedom.
That said, Iran remains a stable, peaceful country in a region of chaos and turmoil. It's people have more liberties than perhaps any other country In the Middle East and it has a government which rules with the consent of the majority. It is heading in the right direction. The dissatisfied minority will have to learn to live with the will of the majority, while the government must do all it can to placate them without compromising Iran's Islamic system.
After all, what is the alternative for the Islamic Republic to be overthrown and for Iran to descend into the kind of chaos we see in Iraq? And what for _ so that westernized women can remove their hijabs or so that the young can get drunk and listen to hip-hop? Ask anyone in Iraq what comes first - security or unfettered freedom- and the answer will be obvious
So if the anti-Iran brigade in the British media really want the country to reform itself and open up, perhaps they should call for an end to economic sanctions, military threats and destabilization programs, and allow Iran to continue with its peaceful nuclear program.
I am not saying Press TV or the Iranian government are perfect. I am sure we have made mistakes and will continue to make them in the future. Entrenched attitudes need to develop, a tolerance of different views needs to become the norm. But quite frankly that will inevitably happen once the West accepts the Islamic Republic for what it is, rather than treat it as a pariah just because it opposes western foreign policy.
My channel, Press TV, does not poison the minds of anybody - we simply report the fads and give a platform to a wide variety of opinion. That is what journalists are supposed to do. So instead of pontificating from a position of ignorance our critics should simply watch the channel - they may be surprised and they may learn something.
Roshan Muhammed Salih is Head of News in London for Press TV. This article was written in a personal capacity and does not necessarily reflect the views of the station.
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