Iran bans reporting on protest leaders, according to leaked media directive

Автор Dana Liebelson
Oct 30, 2018 в Journalism Basics

Iran's squeeze on the press shows no sign of letting up; according to a recently leaked media directive, authorities have banned newspapers from publishing any news on the defeated presidential candidates. The Guardian reports that Iran has already shut down eight newspapers, and imprisoned more than one hundred journalists and bloggers since the disputed presidential election in June.

The election, which the opposition argues was largely fraudulent, led to the worst unrest in Iran since the 1979 revolution.

An Iranian journalist told The Guardian that an atmosphere of self-censorship has existed since the election. According to The New York Times, if the leaked letter is genuine, it would be the first public confirmation of the media ban.

The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that a third of the world’s jailed journalists call Iran home, and three hundred journalists remain unemployed since last year’s crackdown.