Ahmadinejad and a Reiterated Speech

27 September 2011 | 02:49 Code : 16555 Middle East.

In an interview with IRD, Hasan Beheshtipour, an expert in media affairs, reviews the media coverage of President Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York, and argues that the president’s speech was nothing new for the Western media.

IRD: Was the recent Ahmadinejad visit to New York highlighted by the media like the past?

HB: It appears that the visit was reflected less than in the past, and was faced with a kind of broadcasting boycott.

IRD: How is his visit referenced to the recent developments in the Muslim world, the ME, and the media’s attention that has been drawn to the issues regarding the Arab Spring?

HB: I do not think that it is so related to the Islamic awakening; public opinion got accustomed to these reiterated words, therefore they provoke no reaction. First, and for quite a while, they were a shock to them, but in the past years it has not been so. The media are no exception: when they face repeated words they lose their interest in a moment! Therefore, it should not be expected that his speech would be widely broadcast.

IRD: Then you think that the recent changes in the ME did not cause this ignoring of Ahmadinejad, while other figures like Mahmoud Abbas are paid attention to, don’t you?

HB: Definitely; Mahmoud Abbas is at the center of all attention, greeted with the warm applause of the attendees at his speech, as he has presented new themes and taken new measures-- it is then reasonable that he was welcomed by the leaders of many countries and his speech was reflected more by the media than that of the Iranian president. He introduced himself as a peace supporter having two plans for the recognition of Palestine. It is evident that he moves forward based on some carefully devised scheme.

IRD: Some media regarded the release of the two US citizens by Iran as propaganda that made the US media atmosphere less challenging for president Ahmadinejad. What do you think about this?

HB: It is not probable. When we claim to have an independent judiciary, it means that it is not affected by these issues.

IRD: Anyway, the news of the prisoners’ release was firstly announced by Ahmadinejad. Does not it mean that Ahmadinejad requested that they be released before his visit, or was it just coincidence?

HB: The announcement by the president does not mean that the judiciary released them due to his visit, because, as I mentioned, the Iranian judiciary is thoroughly independent: the judge must not be affected by political interests, but by the case specifications.