How Not to Cover Iran's Election: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Becomes Sid Vicious

UPDATE: Another, far more useful perspective on the Ahmadinejad rally is offered by Robert Dreyfuss of The Nation: "There's no question that Iran is at a crucial turning point."

With Iran's Presidential election three days later, we're planning a major preview, drawing on first-hand reports and correspondence to assess what might happen in the contest between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (pictured) and his three challengers: former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, former Islamic Revolution Guards Corps commander Mohsen Rezaei, and former Speaker of the Parliament Mehdi Karroubi.

However, with Western media waking up to the excitement of the campaign (and thus snapping out of the assumption that Ahmadinejad's re-election was a foregone conclusion), we had to feature this jaw-droppingly awful "atmosphere" piece by Colin Freeman, a reporter for The Daily Telegraph of London who attended an Ahmadinejad rally.

There is no analysis of worth here --- Freeman doesn't even mention any of the other candidates --- merely a series of cultural "translations" to make these wacky Iranians and their wackier President accessible to British and "Western" readers:

"The jostling crowds of a rock gig moshpit, and the carefully choreographed build-up of a World Wrestling Federation grudge match....Rather like promoters for the Rolling Stones or the late James Brown, the president's aides like to keep his fans waiting....One speaker yelled with razzmatazz worthy of TV darts presenter Sid Waddell"

My personal favourite? "Rather like the punk rock group the Sex Pistols, or the singer Pete Doherty, it is not unusual, apparently, for the president to plan a gig but then fail to show."

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Sid Vicious. I'm not sure it does much for political analysis, but it's an image that burns on the mind.

Comments

[UJ]

Haha, Freeman actually sort of shoots himself in the foot with this one. First, I find it funny that the only way he can brand Iranian politics as crazy is by painting them like such successful western institutions as the "Rock Star" and television celebrity. I'm sure comparing Ahmadinejad to one of the largest cultural movements in the world like rock and roll is a HUGE insult. Second, there's nothing he describes that sounds remotely different from any of the Obama-Biden or Palin-thatotherguy rallies in the United States. Wow, so Iranians are excited and enthusiastic about the democratic process! What Lunatics!

Clearly the solution is to bomb them as soon as possible.

[Dr. Charles E. Gannon]

What? Bad journalism? Ill-advised metaphors? Mixing parody with politics? Oversimplification and misrepresentation in order to generate a grin (whether appropriate or not)? Call the Press Propriety Police! Oh, wait...there aren't any. And that's...uh, the good news?
Of course, any editorial broom that would sweep out (gladly) the Limbaughs would also sweep out the Moores (equally gladly). But thankfully, there are *some* ever serious papers and news-sites that would NEVER push the boundaries of intellectually solid commentary over into the domain of opportunistic serio-comedy.
At least, certainly not THIS one...
And certainly never ME!
Keeping the faith AND Keeping it Real,
Chuck Gannon