CNN refusing to tell the truth about Iran

IranVaJahan ^ | 7/20/03 | Gary Metz

[freedom44]

Repeating their Iraqi mistakes in Iran.

It appears CNN is once again in the business of burying news stories when their reports might embarrass their host country. If it were not for a student from Iran I might not have heard of this report. Fortunately the world of the Internet makes it increasingly difficult for stories to remain hidden from the public. The story I am referring to was published on gooya.com and while written in Persian it is available on the net. I contacted CNN for a response but they chose not to.

Gooya.com is reporting that an Iranian student, Hamid, provided CNN with video of the attack on the student dormitories by the regime. The student was arrested by the regime and taken to the same prison, Evin where the Canadian/Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was tortured. Kazemi eventually died allegedly under the hands of the regime official Saeed Mortezavi, Tehran's Chief Prosecutor. The story of her murder has been international news for the past week.

But unlike Kazemi whose photos of the Evin prison remain in the hands of the regime, Hamid was successful in getting his footage to CNN. According to this report CNN is refusing to air the student's footage, claiming it would endanger his life. But since they refused to air the footage the story has not received international attention and his life is now in grave danger.

It was reported that as the regime's enforcers arrived to arrest Hamid, he ate additional footage to keep it from the regime. They report that this young man was then taken to Evin prison where the same official responsible for the death of Kazemi ordered immediate surgery in the prison to retrieve the footage in his stomach. Since that time, due to infections caused by the surgery they were forced to move him to a hospital where it is reported he has four different infections.

Apparently CNN has not yet learned it lesson about protecting tortuous regimes. Just a few months ago CNN admitted that it sat on a variety of news stories in Iraq that would have exposed the nature of the Iraqi regime (New York Times, Editorial | The News We Kept To Ourselves, by CNN producer Eason Jordan).

In both cases they use the same excuse that they are protecting the lives of their sources of information.

In reality, the only thing keeping the regime from killing this brave Iranian is international awareness of his situation. The regime needs to maintain the illusion of respect for human rights to provide the Europeans and Japan with an excuse for further economic ties. If CNN were to broadcast this report and attribute it to him it would provide him with the notoriety needed to keep him from being one more unnamed student executed by the regime. It is time for CNN to stop protecting this regime in order to maintain its office in Tehran. When journalists sell out their ethics for rating it destroys the value of a free press to protect the innocent from corrupt governments.

I hope CNN will reconsider its position on this story. It may save a life and perhaps redeem the soul of that network.

[freedom44]

STOP PROTECTING THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC TO SAVE YOUR OFFICE IN IRAN---CNN!

[freedom44]

on or off iran ping

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[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

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[BenLurkin]

[A}n Iranian student, Hamid, provided CNN with video of the attack on the student dormitories

bttt

[dixiechick2000]

Wow! This certainly deserves a bit BTTT!

Thanks for the pings!

[dixiechick2000]

bit s/b big

oops!

[xrp]

CNN refusing to tell the truth

That's my retitle of this article.

[nuconvert]

"CNN Hiding Video of Attacks on Students"

That's my retitle of this article.

Thanks for posting.

BTTT

[Victoria Delsoul]

Apparently CNN has not yet learned it lesson about protecting tortuous regimes. Just a few months ago CNN admitted that it sat on a variety of news stories in Iraq that would have exposed the nature of the Iraqi regime (New York Times, Editorial | The News We Kept To Ourselves, by CNN producer Eason Jordan).

In both cases they use the same excuse that they are protecting the lives of their sources of information.

Wow! How could these people sleep at night?

[rllngrk33]

CNN refusing to tell the truth

It's not just CNN, it's the rest of the liberal media!

[I'm ALL Right!]

COMMIE NEWS NETWORK. I'm amazed at how they so blatanly skew and omit news, and people still watch.

[Timesink]

This is the nascent Mainstream Media Shenanigans ping list. Please freepmail me to be added or dropped.
Please note this will likely become a high-volume list.
Also feel free to ping me if you come across a thread you would think worthy of the ping list. I can't catch them all!

[nothingnew]

Fortunately the world of the Internet makes it increasingly difficult for stories to remain hidden from the public.

Amen to that. I believe the internet is the major reason the demosocialists are having such a hard time today. I'm loving it.

FMCDH

[DannyTN]

"It appears CNN is once again in the business of burying news stories when their reports might embarrass their host country."

They only avoid embarrassing their host country, provided the host country isn't a beacon of democracy. They would gladly embarass the US or Britain.

[Tamzee]

Hmmmmm... instead of emailing CNN about this, maybe we should start an email campaign to other cable channels and newspapers ;-)

[nuconvert]

By shenanigans, do you also mean non-reporting? Like:

"closure of more than 90 newspapers in the past three years and the imprisonment of dozens of writers and activists in mostly closed trials without jury" (Iran)

"3 more Iranian Journalists were arrested > 21 Total now."
(actually I think the arrest of an editor of a newspaper that was shut down 2 yrs ago wasn't added to this number. Happened a few days ago.)

"There has been a series of brutal violations of journalists' rights, which must be stopped," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary."(Itn'l Fed. Journalists)7/11/03

If you aren't familiar with these stories, blame it on the Mainstream Media .

[nuconvert]

Very good idea.

[nuconvert]

See post #16

[freedom44]

I'm shocked that Rudi Bakhtiar. An Iranian-American who recently received award from Iranian-American Republican Council hasn't been able to influence much of anything.

[freedom44]

"Bakhtiar has been honored for her work, most recently, with the 2002 Iranian American Republican Council Achievement Award in recognition of Outstanding Achievements, Excellence and Accomplishments within the Iranian American community. "

Seems like Mrs. Bakhtiar's voice is being blocked by this vehemently anti-Iranian network.