Reporting Iran’s News, but Speaking for One Side

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In Iran’s news media landscape, which is divided into two camps, the hard-liners and reformists, Fars has emerged in recent years as the most influential conservative voice.

It is directly linked to the Revolutionary Guards, the country’s elite military unit. Its editor for years was Hamid Reza Moghadam Far, now a deputy commander in the Revolutionary Guards. Along with the conservative daily newspaper Keyhan, Fars is widely considered a mouthpiece for the governing establishment of hard-line clerics and commanders. When its relations soured with Mr. Ahmadinejad two years ago, for example, Fars began attacking him mercilessly. Mindful of those connections, journalists working for reformist outlets avoided reporters from Fars, who could safely criticize their opponents, knowing they were untouchable. Along with Keyhan, Fars would lead campaigns against people and institutions deemed to be out of line with the conservative governing establishment.


Reporting Iran’s News, but Speaking for One Side