Iran: the Western media’s moral failure

The anti-regime protests that have swept across Iran over the past two weeks represent the most serious challenge yet to the theocratic system imposed after the 1979 revolution.

Analysts say these protests differ fundamentally from previous unrest. The Islamic Republic is weaker than at any point in recent memory. Its regional proxies, including Hezbollah and Hamas, have been degraded; the economy is collapsing under sanctions and corruption; and demonstrators are openly aligning themselves with the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

Whether or not the protesters ultimately succeed remains to be seen. But they have already exposed the dishonesty, laziness and moral cowardice of much of the Western media.

Human rights groups inside the country report that hundreds of protesters have been shot dead by regime forces. Thousands more have been arrested. A near-total internet blackout has been imposed both to prevent protesters from organising and images of the crackdown from reaching the outside world.

Iranians from every walk of life are risking their lives to confront an Islamist regime that has ruled through repression, executions, and fear. Yet for nearly two weeks, the Western media either buried the story or, worse, reframed it using the regime’s own talking points.