Tehran's Daily Newspaper Review
Iran, the government’s mouthpiece, reported on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's active public diplomacy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “The Revolution’s Messenger”, as the newspaper described Ahmadinejad, will present effective solutions to world leaders. Iran interviewed cabinet members who asserted that the President’s revolutionary stance will challenge the Imperialism camp in the UN General Assembly. The newspaper tried to dilute the gravity of the 3- billion dollar bank fraud scandal by quoting the Chief Magistrate Sadeq Larijani, who had criticized hasty remarks about the embezzlement case and added the illegally issued Letters of Credit were worth 1.6 billion dollars. One day before the anniversary of the outbreak of the 8-year war between Iran and Iraq, Iran's editorial gave an account of ‘soft power’ and its role in the survival of the Islamic Republic.
Jomhouri-ye Eslami was not as sanguine over the embezzlement case. The top headline of the newspaper was a letter by 210 members of parliament, addressing the Head of the Judiciary and calling for ‘purging’ the Nezam of corrupt figures. Jomhouri-ye Eslami also gave a different representation of the Chief Magistrate’s remarks, quoting him as saying that “the Judiciary won’t back down from probing the egregious banking corruption case.” As the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) was recognized by 193 states, the newspaper boasted that “Qaddafi’s rule over Libya is history.”
“Regional developments attest to nations’ grudge against the US,” Kayhan quoted Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The government has allocated a 12-billion dollar subsidy for production and basic goods, Kayhan reported. Afghnaistan’s Burhanuddin Rabbani’s assassination, the start of the new academic year in Iran, and a covert military intervention plan by NATO and Turkey to topple Bashar Assad’s regime were also placed on the front page. Kayhan’s editorial, written by its Editor-in-Chief Hossein Shari’atmadari, attributed the assassination of Rabbani to the US and Saudi Arabia.
Resalat called the assassination of the Tajik peace broker a joint project conducted by Washington and the Taliban. The MPs’ call for a prompt investigation of the Saderat Bank fraud case was also covered by Resalat. In The newspaper’s editorial elucidated the relation between national security and elections in Iran.
“The great fiscal infraction shrank down”, read Shargh’s acerbic top headline. Shargh’s front page featured two other interesting headlines: “Mousavi and Karroubi were and are free”, claimed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his interview with US network ABC; and “Don’t try to shut the mouth of MPs over the Kahrizak case”, asserted by Conservative MP Ali Motahhari. The release of American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal by the Iranian Judiciary also deserved a large photo according to Shargh’s editorial staff. The newspaper’s editorial elaborated on the importance of “Dialogue among Civilizations”, former president Mohammad Khatami's initiative, now totally slighted by Ahmadinejad's administration.
Like Shargh, Tehran-e Emrooz published a large photo of the two American prisoners on the front page, accompanied with the headline “Americans leave Evin [prison]”. The government’s failure to keep its promise of crediting one thousand dollars to every newborn baby’s bank account, and Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani’s final word with the Principlist “Resistance Front” –an alliance of former Ahmadinejad supporters- also attracted the attention of the newspaper. Tehran-e Emrooz’ editorial started with a praise of his stature, continuing with pro-unity arguments to present a united slate in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
* Notes:
The editorial section of Iranian newspapers is not always the work of the editor-in-chief or the senior editorial staff of the newspaper, but can be a contribution by experts and politicians (typically agreeing with the newspaper’s political stance.)
Vatan-e Emrooz daily does not publish on Thursdays.
Trouble with understanding some terms? Check our Glossary of Iranian Political Terms.
Briefing
Hamshahri (Citizen) is the official daily newspaper of Tehran's Municipality. Its general directions in politics, culture and economy are determined by the mayor of Tehran, currently Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
Iran is the official organ of the administration.
Jomhouri-ye Eslami (The Islamic Republic) was known as the official organ of the Party of the Islamic Republic, founded in 1979 and disbanded in 1987. Currently, it is an open critique of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies and is known to be a mouthpiece of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Kayhan (Universe) is a hard-line conservative newspaper. Its editor-in-chief –currently Hossein Shari’atmadari- is appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader. Shari’atmadari’s editorials often spark off controversy and debate inside Iranian political circles.
Khabar (News) is a principlist daily newspaper which adopts a critical stance towards Ahmadinejad's policies.
Resalat (Mission) belongs to the moderate wing of the principlist camp. Resalat’s best known analyst is Amir Mohebbian, its political editor.
Shargh (East) is a moderate reformist newspaper. It was the most popular and influential reformist newspaper in its first period of publication which lasted from August 2003 until September 2006.
Tehran-e Emrooz (Tehran Today) is a ‘principlist reformist’ newspaper, connected to Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
Vatan-e Emrooz (Motherland Today) -which started its publication in November 2008-, belongs to Mehrdad Bazrpash, the thirty-old pro-Ahmadinejad politician who is also head of Iran's second largest auto manufacturer company, Saipa. Vatan-e Emrooz is a supporter of the president’s policies.