U.S. to Beam TV Show to Iran From Washington
By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 3, 2003; Page A16 [An Excerpt]
The U.S. government plans to launch a Persian-language television newscast in Iran on Sunday as the Bush administration continues to encourage internal dissent against the ruling clerics, administration officials said yesterday.
The Voice of America program, to be announced today, will be sent from Washington by satellite to avoid the jamming that has interfered with U.S. government radio programs aimed at the Iranian people.
The program, "News and Views," will include headlines, a report about the United Nations and a cultural package. It will air nightly from 9:30 to 10 p.m., Tehran time. VOA said a network of Iranian stringers will supply news from within the country.
The U.S. government's satellite newscast builds on the efforts of exiles in Los Angeles who are trying to promote rebellion in Tehran and other Iranian cities by beaming private radio and television programs into the country by satellite. The United States has said it is not involved in those programs, but some Pentagon officials and others in the administration have argued for a more activist approach to undermining the mullahs.
Voice of America officials said the mission of the new program is journalistic. But President Bush has praised Iranian protesters for demanding greater freedom from the clerics for pursuing what he calls a "free Iran." The White House has been working with allies around the world to try to build pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions.
A senior administration official, who refused to be identified because the plan has not been announced, said the mission of the new newscast is to "add volume and reach" to the efforts of the exiles.
Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the VOA, said the goal is to provide Iranians with an alternative to news programs controlled by their government.
"By reporting what's happening, we can help further the struggle for freedom and self-determination in Iran," Tomlinson said. "The demonstrations alone reflect the unrest in the nation, and if ever there was a time when the people of Iran needed sound, factual, objective reporting on their country, it's now."
The program will last at least through Sept. 30, and the Broadcasting Board of Governors plans to spend about $500,000 on it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1078-2003Jul2.htmlI thought I just heard a very condensed version of this on Britt Hume.
FOX has done several stories now. Seems they've decided it's a story that can't be ignored anymore. I wish they'd do more, but anything's better than nothing.