Posted on 07/23/2025 8:19:11 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Who controls the Middle East’s unofficial press?
Long before the messaging app Telegram became the go-to newswire for warzones and opposition movements in the Middle East, it played a pivotal and paradoxical role in some of the region’s most defining uprisings. From the Arab Spring to the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran, Telegram has functioned as a dual-edged tool: an encrypted refuge for citizen journalists and organizers, and at times, a channel quietly tolerated or even manipulated by authoritarian regimes. In the absence of free and independent media, the app has evolved into the region’s unofficial press, shaping not only how information spreads but also who controls the narrative.
Its history is complicated. During the 2015–2019 protests in Iran, Telegram was both a lifeline for anti-regime mobilization and, briefly, a tool of censorship when the company suspended channels accused of inciting violence. Similarly, in Belarus and elsewhere, dissidents relied on Telegram to coordinate action and document state abuses, while regimes scrambled to regain narrative control. Now, as conflicts rage and state repression intensifies, the question is no longer whether Telegram empowers protest but who, ultimately, holds power over Telegram itself.
When Israel cut off Internet access in Gaza on October 27, 2023, the region went dark—except for Telegram. While Western media scrambled to verify reports, Palestinian journalists like Motaz Azaiza turned to the platform to upload footage of airstrikes, casualties, and devastated neighborhoods. Within minutes, their content reached millions, bypassing mainstream media.
But the same Telegram that carried Azaiza’s videos also hosted channels like the Qassam Brigades’ official outlet, which posted graphic footage of Hamas terrorists and martyrdom narratives. Meanwhile, Israeli military channels...
(Excerpt) Read more at fee.org ...
Telegram is the only “ social media” along with Truth Social that I use!!
Israel Defense Forces (official) releases lots of information first on Telegram, sometimes missile alerts before apps like Tzofar.
Amir Tsarfati Telegram connects with a variety of Hebrew and Arabic sources that he translates to English from a Christian perspective comfortable to Americans.
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