Top Iranian Reporter Resigns, Apologizes for Lying on Behalf of Gov't Dems Defended: Report
A news anchor within the Iranian state media apparatus has reportedly made a very public exit, announcing via social media she could no longer continue telling “lies” on behalf the Islamist regime.
In fact, according to a Monday report in The Guardian, two Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting anchors have departed the network in light of the nation’s recent downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, with a third claiming to have “quit some time ago” over the state’s intentionally dishonest reporting of events.
The most prominent departure was that of Gelare Jabbari, who apologized to her fellow Iranians this week, asking in an Instagram post that has since been removed for forgiveness after 13 years as a cog in Iran’s propaganda machine.
“It was very hard for me to believe that our people have been killed,” Jabbari reportedly wrote.
“Forgive me that I got to know this late. And forgive me for the 13 years I told you lies.”
Iran State TV’s anchor resigns saying, “It was very hard for me to believe the killing of my countrymen. I apologize for lying to you on TV for 13 years.”#IranProtests2020 https://t.co/XnTv72KDkZ
— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) January 13, 2020
Fellow anchors Zahra Khatami and Saba Rad, the latter of whom had reportedly worked some 21 years between IRIB’s television and radio networks, also commented on their departures, claiming they could simply not continue their work for Iran’s state-run media.
These claims — putting to shame Democrats and members of the American media who have themselves been unwilling to repent for repetition of Iranian propaganda in recent days — follow closely on the heels of a recently quelled escalation of tensions between the Islamist dictatorship and the United States.
That escalation picked up steam two weeks ago as Iran-backed rebels in Iraq laid siege to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and resulted in the deployment of 3,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East, as well as a controversial American drone strike to eliminate Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who is believed to have helped orchestrate the embassy attack.
In the days that followed, both nations’ militaries seemed to be on high alert, with the Iranian regime threatening major retaliatory strikes in light of Soleimani’s death.
On the night of Iran’s response — the casualty-free firing of 22 ballistic missiles into Iraqi military installations housing U.S. forces — the nation landed itself in even more hot water, however, as a Ukrainian passenger jet crash landed near the capital of Tehran, killing 176 people shortly after takeoff.
Initial reports suggested a major technical malfunction was likely to blame for the crash but, before long, video surfaced of what appeared to be a flaming projectile striking the plane.
Despite Iran’s best efforts to cover up its involvement in the crash, mounting evidence eventually forced the nation to admit “human error” had resulted in a surface-to-air missile systems downing the passenger liner.
The New York Times published an authenticated video (via AFP) appearing to “show an Iranian missile exploding near a plane above Parand, near Tehran’s airport, the area where the jetliner, Ukraine International Airlines Flight, stopped transmitting its signal before it crashed.” pic.twitter.com/ndNTwm7RdK
— The Voice of America (@VOANews) January 10, 2020
chants heard on Tehran streets: “Soleimani was a murderer, his Leader is too”
Protests emerged on streets in multiple cities across Iran few hours after IRGC admitted to shooting down a commercial flight #PS752.pic.twitter.com/PDTWJaxHlM— Hadi Nili (@HadiNili) January 11, 2020
News of the initial cover-up has roiled the nation, resulting in days-long street protests and what the Association of Iranian Journalists referred to as “a funeral for public trust,” The Guardian reported.
“The publication of false information has had a severe impact on public confidence and public opinion, and more than ever shook the media’s shaky position,” the organization reportedly said in a public statement.
“We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves; and Islamic Republic of Iran state television employees acknowledge that their credibility has been lost. Unaware that the credibility of this media and most of the domestic media had long since vanished.
“It should be noted, however, that other media outlets objected to the situation, but the Islamic Republic of Iran’s state television favoured it,” the AIJ concluded. “This incident showed that people cannot trust official data and journalists should try to fill this gap as much as possible.”
Unfortunately, however, establishment media heads here in the U.S. have yet to learn this lesson, repeatedly citing to the Iranian regime’s line as fact in recent weeks.
From referring to the Soleimani strike as an international “assassination” to claiming the Trump administration was to blame for escalating tensions and even reporting scores of non-existent casualties as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes on U.S. interests in Iraq, the American media has apparently yet to realize the Iranian regime cannot be trusted as far as it can be thrown.
Establishment journalists here in the states can never be expected to apologize.
In fact, they rarely ever admit to being wrong in the first place.
Lives are ruined and mass hysteria is created.
Then, as soon as the narrative comes up short — or is proven false — the media simply moves on to the next big thing.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
